Blind to Love
by AlphaEph19
Summary: Sasuke is a lawyer bent on getting revenge on his brother.  Hinata is a med student forced to drop out of school to care for her sister after her father's death.  Chance and an old friend bring the two together, but where will things go from there?
1. Episode 1

**A/N:** When I was in Korea this summer I got hooked on two things: writing fanfiction, and Kdramas. This is my attempt to combine my two favorite guilty pleasures, while trying out a pairing for Naruto that I've always felt had some potential. I hope you enjoy, but more than that I hope you review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, and I don't own any Kdramas, either. Good thing you can watch most of them on Hulu!

**Episode 1**

On the top floor of an office building in Seoul, seven men sat in a small conference room. They conversed in hushed tones, their heads bowed with the weight of many secrets. In their hands rested the fortunes of hundreds of thousands of people, which they held as carefully as their china cups of tea. The man at the head of the table raised a hand. Silence fell immediately.

"Gentlemen. I just received word. The Hyuga takeover is complete. We now own the controlling share in Hyuga Motors."

Polite applause rippled through the room. A large man with a predatory look raised a questioning hand. The President nodded permission.

"What of his will? Hiashi had children, didn't he?"

"Yes; he had two daughters," the President agreed. "However, we have a… friend… within the company who was able to locate and permanently misplace the late Hiashi's will. In the absence of any official legal obstacles, we were able to buy up the company without any problems."

"But won't the daughters make trouble? Surely they won't let this rest?"

"The eldest daughter was estranged from her father. She will think Hiashi simply cut her out of the will. The youngest daughter is only sixteen, too young to know anything of companies or inheritance. But rest assured, Kisame," the businessman looked pointedly at the man who had asked the question, "we will do everything necessary to make sure that the Hyuga girls never become a problem."

Kisame bowed his head. "Yes, President."

The man at the head of the table looked around at the seven other men in the room.

"That goes for more than the recent Hyuga acquisition. I, Itachi Uchiha, promise to do everything in my power to maximize our profits. The New Dawn Corporation has flourished under my leadership, and will continue to do so. That is all, gentlemen."

He tucked his papers under his arm, and left the room. Soft applause followed him out.

oOoOo

Hinata walked down the street slowly, lost in thought. She gripped her sister Hanabi's hand tightly, desperately. It was her last link to normalcy in a world gone mad. They were all each other had, now. A tragic car accident had claimed her father's life, only a week ago.

She got the call from her father's secretary, and had hurried to his manor immediately. The next few days found her forced to change her life radically. First, she made the decision to drop out of college. She knew what this would do to her prospects, to her future, but she had had little choice. Hinata was now Hanabi's legal guardian, and had to put her little sister through school.

Hinata had been in her first year of medical school, but even with her scholarships she couldn't keep studying, work part-time, and care for her sister, too. So she notified the Dean of Students, said good-bye to her friends, and started looking for a job.

The news only got worse. They were told to leave their father's manor, the place where Hinata had spent all of her childhood, and the only home Hanabi had ever known. The men who delivered the notice had only given them 24 hours to vacate the premises.

The last few nights they'd stayed at a ladies' hostel, packed in tightly and sleeping on the hard floor with only borrowed towels as bedrolls.

By day Hinata walked around Seoul, Hanabi in tow, looking for a job and a place to stay.

Today she had tried a car dealership, two restaurants, and a coffee shop. None of them were willing to hire her. She was beginning to despair of finding a job before the rest of their money ran out.

If that happened, Hinata feared she might have to resort to desperate measures. She had heard all of the horror stories about girls who were forced to work in bars. She knew her life might never recover from that step. But Hanabi was her responsibility, and Hinata couldn't put her own life first. She had to make the tough choices now, since their father hadn't provided for them.

Hinata tried to check that thought as soon as it popped up. It was a terrible thing to resent the dead. She should only be sad he was gone, and happy that he was with his beloved wife at last. But Hinata was finding it difficult to treat her father with the kindness he had never shown her. It was even harder when she thought how easily he could have fixed their situation, but apparently just hadn't bothered.

"Where are we going _now_?" Hanabi whined.

"Dinner, 'Nabi. We've had a long day, I know you're tired and hungry."

"We wouldn't have to walk so much if you just got a _job!_ Father always said you were a lazy good-for-nothing, not fit to take over the company…"

Hinata let her sister talk, allowing the venomous words to wash over her without any effect. Hanabi had been Hiashi's favorite, and as such his death had hit her the hardest. Hinata had been on her own for over five years, putting herself through college and then beginning med school without a penny of her father's money, so the news hadn't been too much for her to bear.

For Hanabi, it was more like her world had fallen apart. The young teen had been the spoiled heiress of Hyuga Motors, the apple of her father's eye, and then in a second it was all gone. Hinata remembered her father's funeral, when Hanabi had broken down and sobbed hysterically, hugging her sister so tightly Hinata thought her ribs might have broke.

If abusing Hinata kept Hanabi from dwelling on the hell her life had become, Hinata wouldn't begrudge her. It certainly didn't make Hinata feel more optimistic, though.

Hinata stopped outside of a small eatery, which served noodles for only two thousand won. It was one of the cheapest meals you could buy in Seoul, but was still filling. Hinata smiled to herself at a sudden memory, of a friend from her school days who had loved ramen more than anything. He had always said that the world couldn't be all bad, when such delicious food could be had for so little.

Naruto was Hinata's first crush, one that lasted all the way through middle school and well into high school. By the time she graduated and moved out of her father's house, they were just good friends. He had never been interested in her, and sustaining a one-sided crush on the most oblivious boy in school was just too much work. But Hinata would have given a great deal to have Naruto there at that moment, to give her one of his open, sunny grins, and tell her everything was going to be all right.

The two sisters walked in and sat down at a table in the corner. Hinata ordered two bowls of ramen, and poured two glasses of water. She drank gratefully, wiping some sweat off of her forehead with her sleeve. It was a hot, muggy day outside, and they'd been walking almost all day.

The door opened, ringing the small bell on the entrance mat. Out of the corner of her eye Hinata saw a glint of sun shining off of yellow hair. Then…

"Oy, Hinata! Fancy running into you here!"

Well, speak of the devil.

"Naruto," Hinata said in return, unable to muster enough energy to equal Naruto's enthusiasm. "What a coincidence. I saw this place and I thought of you."

Naruto grinned broadly, which warmed Hinata's heart just as she had imagined it would. There were no more sparks for her, no more romantic feelings, but their friendship remained.

"Well, _I_ saw this place and thought of me too… eating ramen! I come here almost every day. Gosh, I can't believe it's almost been five years since we've seen each other! What are you up to? How have you been?"

Naruto wasn't the most perceptive of men, but even he could tell when the faces of the two Hyuga sisters dropped after his question.

"Our father died a week ago," Hinata said calmly. "He was in a car crash."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry, Hinata. I'm so sorry for you both."

"Thank you, Naruto, we appreciate your kindness."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, that's all right—" Hinata began automatically, then stopped. She blushed a little, looking down at her feet, then raised her eyes with determination.

"Actually, there is. Our father didn't leave us anything in his will. In fact, his lawyer told us he didn't make a will at all. I don't have a job, and no one wants to hire me once they find I dropped out of medical school. We have no money, no place to go. Would you happen to know of any place that might be willing to hire me?"

"What?" Naruto was struck dumb. "But your father… he owned Hyuga Motors… he didn't leave you _anything?_"

Hinata just shook her head, tight-lipped.

"That's… I'm so sorry, Hinata." Naruto screwed his eyes tight in that way he had, that he only used when he was thinking very hard. Then the lightbulb went off.

"I've got it!" His triumphant fist-pump almost hit the waitress in the nose, causing her to jump away and slop ramen over the next table. She shot Naruto an angry glare.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly. He turned back to Hinata, his face breaking into a grin once more. "It just so happens that my roommate and I have been looking for a live-in housekeeper. We're so busy with work we don't really have time to keep our place clean. But Sasuke fired the last girl, and the one before that quit. You'd actually be helping me out of a jam, and the room is large enough for you and Hanabi. You wouldn't have to pay rent, since we go so far back."

Hinata looked at her friend, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh, Naruto, would you do that for us? That would be… it would be so kind of you, we could never thank you enough."

Naruto waved that aside airily.

"See if you still think that after you see the place. It's a sty. But Hinata," he broke off, and became serious for a moment. "You're going to have to be very careful to do everything just the way Sasuke says. He likes things just so, and he pays most of the bills around here. We understand each other pretty well, but he doesn't get on with anyone else. In fact, while you're with us you'll be best served by doing the work quietly, and staying out of Sasuke's way as much as possible. Can you handle that?"

Hinata nodded fervently.

"To keep a job that keeps us off the streets and puts my sister through school, I can handle anything. I promise, Sasuke won't even know I'm there!"

Naruto laughed, and stuck his hand out. They shook solemnly, and Hinata turned back to her ramen with renewed appetite. Things were looking up.

**A/N: **What do you think? If you like the idea and want to read more, let me know and I'll keep it going. It will be a fun way to blow off steam after butting my head against the wall, trying to fix the plot holes in my other stories.


	2. Episode 2

**A/N:** Here's Episode 2. Most kdramas have 16 or 20 episodes, but I'm not sure at the moment how many chapters this story will have. They'll be pretty short, so I might go over the mark by a few. Not too much happens this chapter, just setting the stage for things to come. Please read and review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters in this story

**Episode 2**

"So this is it! Home, sweet home." Naruto gestured grandly around, kicking off his shoes and leaving them haphazardly in the front entrance.

Hinata looked around with a critical eye. She would have to know this house inside and out, since she would soon be in charge of keeping it clean. And it looked like her work was cut out for her.

It was obvious just from the living room that Naruto lived here. She could see his carefree attitude in the shirts draped casually over the sofa, and the signs of his biggest addiction in the pile of Top Ramen packs lying on the coffee table.

Naruto saw where Hinata was looking, and gave her a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I know I haven't exactly kept the place pristine. I'll buy a few laundry baskets tomorrow."

"Thank you, Naruto," Hinata said. She grinned back at him, and raised an eyebrow. "Is it really necessary to keep your ramen supply on the coffee table? A cupboard wouldn't work as well?"

Naruto shrugged, unrepentant. "Sometimes I get hungry when I'm watching tv. The kitchen is too far away."

There was something wrong with that, though it took Hinata a minute to figure out what it was. Then it hit her.

"But you have to go to the kitchen anyway to cook it, so why wouldn't you…" Hinata trailed off, comprehension dawning. "Don't tell me you… Naruto, that's gross!"

"Nah, ramen noodles are actually really good raw," Naruto assured her, his eyes holding no sign that he was lying. "Just sprinkle a little beef-flavored powder and crunch the pack up, and you have a delicious snack, suitable for any time of the day or night! They're like little noodle chips!"

"Please don't tell me we're living with this cave man," Hanabi whined.

"Watch it, pipsqueak," Naruto said with a mock scowl. "Anyway," he said to Hinata, "that's why you're here, isn't it? To save me from myself? I'm sure you'll have the house spic and span, and me eating right, before the week is up."

"I'll do my best," promised Hinata. "Would you mind showing us the rest of the house?"

"Of course!" Naruto said, smacking his forehead. "I knew I was forgetting something. Come on, the kitchen is through here."

Naruto made an excellent tour guide, Hinata decided. He punctuated his descriptions of each room with funny stories about mishaps that had occurred there, until Hinata felt that she had a feel for the place. She felt bad that Hanabi kept up a steady stream of muttered comments, mostly about how "Father's house was better." But from the sympathetic smile that Naruto shot her over Hanabi's head, Hinata knew her old friend both understood and forgave her sister's rudeness.

The house wasn't large by Hyuga standards, though for two bachelors who lived alone it was more than sufficient. And by Hinata's standards, which were set by cramped dorm rooms with barely enough room for a bed and a desk, it was a palace. The entrance opened into the living room, which attached to a kitchen and a dining room. A small hallway ran along the far side of the living room and the dining room, leading to a bathroom and a bedroom.

"That's my room," Naruto said, pointing to the bedroom. "I won't subject you to it yet, you haven't even gotten settled in."

"Where is Sasuke's room?" Hinata asked.

Naruto gestured to the staircase at the end of the hall, right next to the bathroom. "The upstairs is all Sasuke's. It's about as big as the downstairs. He doesn't come down much, and I rarely go up. It's a weird arrangement, but we make it work."

"Are we going to look upstairs too?"

"Not today, we'll wait until Sasuke's at work tomorrow. He's the kind who needs to ease into any changes. He'll warm up to you a lot easier if his first impression of you is a cleaner house."

_Just how grumpy is this Sasuke? _Hinata wondered.

"Then, when he gets back tomorrow and you've finished cleaning, I'll introduce you. Don't worry about it, I'll make sure he knows how far back we go. I'm sure you'll get along fine."

That would have been reassuring, if Hinata hadn't been able to see the apprehension on her friend's face. Naruto had always been lousy at concealing his true thoughts.

"But you have told me about him, right?"

Silence.

"_Right?"_

"Well, not exactly…" Naruto said sheepishly. "Better to ask forgiveness than permission, you know. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Just make this place sparkle tomorrow, and Sasuke will love you."

"Naruto!" Hinata said, extremely exasperated. "You didn't tell him about Hanabi either? What if he's not ok with having two freeloaders? You should have asked him first, before you brought us here!"

Naruto waved his hands earnestly. "No, no, it's ok! I'll just tell him we need two maids instead of one, and the two of you are a package deal."

"Hey, I'm not a maid!" Hanabi protested indignantly.

"Hush, 'Nabi," Hinata said firmly. "Naruto, I can't thank you enough for what you're trying to do. But would you _please_ try not to be such a bonehead from now on? Honestly, you can't just spring surprises like this on the people you live with."

"You're probably right, Hinata," Naruto said, "but maybe a surprise or two will do Sasuke good. He's been really broody lately—ok, he's been really broody ever since I've known him—and I want to shake him up a little. But we have to do it right. Just trust me, it'll be fine."

Hinata sighed, but nodded. After all, what else could they do?

"So that's it for the main house," Naruto said, rubbing his hands together. "The only thing left is the basement. That's where you'll be staying."

The basement was actually a very nice area, furnished just as carefully as the rooms upstairs. There was a guest room with a large bed, and a bathroom leading off from the guest room. Hanabi let out a sigh of longing when she saw the bed.

"I guess that's my cue," said Naruto, laughing. "You two sleep in tomorrow. Soon your job will include cooking breakfast and dinner, but I know you must be exhausted. I'll invent some excuse to leave late tomorrow, and once Sasuke leaves I'll show you the rest of the house and you can start cleaning."

Hanabi wasn't even listening, but had already flung herself face-first on the bed. Hinata smiled at Naruto, wordlessly conveying her gratitude.

"Right, that's about it for me," Naruto said, clearly embarrassed by the emotion in her eyes. "Just a few rules of the house you should keep in mind. First, don't rearrange Sasuke's things without his consent. Second, don't _ever_ go into Sasuke's office. Third," Naruto smiled, hoping to lighten the tone, "don't mess with my ramen. Night, Hinata!"

"Good night, Naruto. And once again, thank you so much. You're a true friend."

"Nah, I'm just glad to have two pretty girls at my beck and call," Naruto said with a mock lecherous grin. He turned and walked up the stairs, giving one last wave before he passed out of sight.

"What a dork," Hanabi said from the bed.

"Please try to keep some perspective," Hinata said to her sister. "Without his kindness, we might still be staying at the hostel. Now you can go to school, and I can start saving up to send you to college."

"Whatever."

They got ready for bed in silence, unpacking their few belongings and stocking the bathroom with their shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. The bed was big enough to share, but Hinata wasn't sure if Hanabi would want it to herself. She looked at her sister questioningly.

Hanabi looked back at her, this time without an angry quip or retort. Her eyes were pleading, and the message was clear. _Don't leave me alone._ Hinata didn't say anything, just got under the covers and hugged her sister fiercely. Soon the two orphans were fast asleep, dreaming of the changes that would come in the morning.

oOoOo

Hinata got out of bed reluctantly, wiping the sleep out of her eyes and blinking furiously. She looked around, confused, until she remembered the events of yesterday. She was safe with her sister, in Naruto and Sasuke's guest room, and she had a job.

_Damn it!_ What time was it? Had she overslept?

Hinata cursed when she saw the little clock in the bathroom that read 2:13 in the afternoon. How could she hope to clean the house before her employers got back? She rushed upstairs, glad that Hanabi was still fast asleep. This might be Hanabi's first really good night of sleep since before their father's death.

On the coffee table Hinata saw a note from Naruto.

_Hi Sleepyhead! Feel free to explore the house. I'll try and get Sasuke to grab dinner with me after work. Expect us around 8 or so._

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. There would be time to clean after all. She tackled the living room first, folding all of Naruto's clothes that were lying out in the open. Then she poked around the kitchen until she knew where everything was kept.

The next few hours she spent dusting, sweeping and washing. _Thank god I worked to put myself through college_, Hinata thought. _I'd have no idea how to go about this if I hadn't kept so many odd jobs._

Hanabi came upstairs around four in the afternoon, settling herself on the couch and watching Hinata work, offering the occasional scathing comment. Hinata worked in silence, until everything except Naruto's room was as clean as she could manage without more specialized equipment. She didn't even try to clean Naruto's room, which she was already thinking of as his den. Instead, she went upstairs, intending to use her remaining four hours to impress the moody Sasuke with her usefulness as a cleaning lady.

Upstairs she found a bathroom, a bedroom, and a door to the office that Naruto had said she was expressly forbidden to enter. So Hinata contented herself with cleaning the bathroom, and was already feeling the ache in her elbows and knees by the time she was done. This would not be an easy job. Menial labor took a toll on the body, no two ways about it.

Hinata entered Sasuke's room, apprehensive and a little excited to see where her mysterious second employer lived. She was surprised to find that the room was almost immaculate. Naruto must have been right about Sasuke being finicky; this was the neatest room of any unmarried guy she had ever seen, and she had gone to med school with a lot of neat freaks.

She poked into corners sporadically with a feather duster, but it was really just an excuse to take a look around. The room was sparse, dark. Wall-to-wall bookshelves covered two sides of the room, containing hundreds of large, dusty tomes with leather bindings. A large desk was situated against the only bare wall, directly underneath the only window in the room.

A picture in a delicate frame drew her attention, partially hidden behind a sleek-looking Mac and a desk-lamp. She went over, sliding it a little to the left to get a better look.

It was a picture of a family—a father, a mother, and two boys—standing together, the males all in suits and the woman in an elegant dinner gown. The youngest boy looked around seven, while the other, most likely his brother, was probably in his teens. Hinata looked at the faces, trying to discover what lay behind their still forms. The father looked stern, unforgiving. The mother seemed kind, her hand placed lovingly on her youngest boy's shoulders. He in turn kept one hand on his mother's, and smiled at the camera with the innocence of youth. His brother smiled as well, but Hinata could see the smile didn't reach his eyes. They were cold, and dark.

Behind her she heard the door open. Hinata swung around, coming face to face with the youngest boy from the picture. He was probably close to Hinata's age now, but it was unquestionably the same man. The only difference was his scowling expression, so different from the open smile in the photo. So this was Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke gave her a long look, up and down, and lingered on the picture frame in her hand. Hinata blushed bright red, feeling as though she'd been caught doing something terrible, and stepped away from the desk as if it had burned her.

"Now I know why Naruto was so keen on getting me to go to dinner with him. Would you mind telling me why you're in my room? Or, for that matter, there is a teenage girl on my sofa watching my television?"

"I… I'm so sorry. I'm Hinata. Naruto should have told you about me."

"I don't care who you are," Sasuke said in an even tone. "Please answer my questions."

"Yes, well…" Hinata stammered. "Naruto hired me to be the new maid. We knew each other in high school, and he offered his help after my father died."

Sasuke stared at her, his expression unreadable.

"And the girl downstairs?"

"That's my sister, Hanabi," replied Hinata. She clenched her fists behind her back, not wanting to betray her nervousness with her usual habit of rubbing her hands together. "I'm her guardian now. We can't live apart, so when Naruto offered me the job he knew she would live with me."

"Did he now?" was Sasuke's only response.

After the silence that followed, the loud crash of someone running up the stairs almost made Hinata jump with surprise. Naruto burst through the door, almost running into Sasuke, who had stepped aside just in time.

"Speak of the devil," Sasuke murmured, "and he shall appear."

"Now everybody calm down," Naruto gasped, leaning over with hands on his knees, taking deep, gulping breaths. "Let's just let things marinate for a second."

"I'm calm," said Sasuke in a deceptively mild tone. "I'm just wondering what possessed you to hire a maid without consulting with me first. Especially since it's not just a maid, it's also her sister. We're not running a hostel here, Naruto."

Naruto held his hands out in supplication. "Come on, Sasuke, have a heart. They just lost their father, they have nowhere to go. Give them a try, I guarantee you won't regret it. Come on, don't tell me you didn't see how clean the place is. You could eat on the floor!"

"You frequently do," Sasuke said without a pause. "Hardly a convincing argument." He looked at Hinata for a long minute, silencing Naruto's quick retort with one hand. "Well, we have to hire _someone_, and it might as well be you. But this isn't charity. You'll do the work or you get fired. Understand?"

Hinata nodded furiously, allowing herself to hope.

Sasuke walked over to his desk and sat down, taking out a sheet of paper from one of the drawers. He wrote quickly, his back to his roommate and his new maid.

"What are you playing at?" Naruto asked indignantly. "We were in the middle of a conversation. You can't just pick up work and leave us hanging like that!"

"I can do whatever I want," Sasuke said dryly, "this being, after all, my house. But as it happens, this is relevant to our discussion."

"Miss Hinata," he said, gesturing for her to come closer, "this is for you. It's a contract, laying down all of the requirements of your job. Fail to comply with any of these, and you're gone. No second chances."

Hinata took the paper, scanning it quickly like she would a medical report. It contained all the details of her pay and the length of her initial employment. The contract was set for one month. Most of the rules were straightforward, and Naruto had warned her already about not going into Sasuke's room. But the way they were written, laid out so aggressively, definitely irked her. She tried to hide her irritation. This Sasuke was an even bigger ass than Naruto had described.

Without a word, Hinata signed her full name on the bottom line. Sasuke took the contract, not even deigning to look down to verify her signature.

"That's that, then," Sasuke said, with the air of someone brushing away a pesky mosquito. "Now please go about your business, both of you. I have business to attend to."

Hinata followed Naruto out the door, stifling the urge to stick her tongue out at her haughty new employer.

She went downstairs, only to find Hanabi staring in the direction of Sasuke's room, with the expression one might see on a hungry wolf.

"_That's_ the guy Naruto was talking about? He's _gorgeous!_"

Hinata stared at her in consternation, while Naruto burst into laughter.

"He has that effect on most women. Don't know why, though. He wouldn't know charm if it bit him on the nose."

"Who cares about charm?" Hanabi asked scornfully. "Hinata, this place isn't such a dump after all! Not with such a hot guy living with us!"

Hinata just shook her head in despair. Hanabi with a chip on her shoulder was irritating—Hanabi with a crush promised to be truly terrifying.

_He'll kick us out before the week is up._

**A/N:** Things are starting slow, though they should start to heat up soon. The infamous kdrama contract has been signed, and now it's time for the intrigue, angst, and drama to begin.


	3. Episode 3

**A/N: **I'm tired of writing action scenes, which I suck at and always seem to go the same way. It's time for drama, angst, and potentially some cute bonding moments. Review, review, review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, Stars Falling From the Sky, or Full House. But you should watch all three anyway.

**Episode Three**

Sasuke bent over his laptop, his fingers flying furiously over the keys. All of the details of the case he was working were in his head, he just had to get them onto the Word document. There was going to be a deposition the next day, and he had to be ready. He would be, of course. He always was. From the day he graduated law school, and began work at Hidden Leaf Law Consultants, he'd never lost a case. He was the best researcher, analyst of case law, and courtroom lawyer that the firm had ever seen. People called him a genius, but Sasuke knew better than to listen to the praise of inferiors. Success was the only thing that counted. He would win this case, and win every single one that came his way, until he had accomplished his goal.

Itachi's face seemed to materialize on the screen, startling Sasuke from his work. He almost flung the computer away, before realizing it was just his imagination. Sasuke went back to his work, but Itachi's image refused to go away. Itachi, the man he had used to call 'brother'. Now, Sasuke could think of Itachi only with hatred.

The picture next to his laptop drew Sasuke's attention. It was painful to look at, but Sasuke welcomed the pain. It made him strong; it kept him from forgetting. Every time he looked at the picture he remembered his father and mother, as they used to be. Before Itachi had ruined everything.

Sasuke had been seven at the time, and Itachi had been thirteen. Even so, Itachi knew more about business than most CEOs learned in their entire careers. Itachi had conspired with the Board of Directors, and locked their father out of his company. Shamed and betrayed by his own son, Fugaku Uchiha had committed suicide only days later. Sasuke's mother, Mikoto, never recovered from her son's betrayal or her husband's death. She seemed to lose the will to live, and died within two months. She left behind a seven-year-old son with no one to care for him.

The only thing that had kept Sasuke from giving in to despair was his blazing hatred for Itachi. It had seen him through the tough years at the orphanage, and after his adoption it had seen him through high school. College and law school followed, all with the aim of somehow making Itachi pay for his crimes. That was the one thing that Sasuke knew to be true, the only thing he held on to: no matter what he had to sacrifice, if it was the last thing he did, he would make Itachi pay.

With difficulty, Sasuke tore his eyes away from the photo. It was late, almost 10pm, and he still needed to finish his report. A bridgebuilder was suing the CEO of a shipping company for unlawful intimidation of the workers. It was a case that most lawyers at the firm had told Sasuke not to take on, as the CEO had enough money to bury them in paperwork. But to Sasuke, this case would act like a test case for the one he hoped to one day bring against Itachi. If he could help the wronged bridgebuilder Tazuna win against a heartless businessman, there might be hope for his own quest. It would be good practice, and Sasuke was confident. After all, he'd never lost yet.

A knock at the door startled Sasuke from his thoughts. "What do you want, Naruto?" he called, aggrieved. His blond roommate was always poking his head in when Sasuke was trying to work, badgering him to play a game, watch a movie, or go out. It was irritating, to be sure, but Sasuke secretly felt touched that Naruto went to the trouble. His college friend always looked out for him, even when Sasuke wished he wouldn't.

But this time, it wasn't Naruto at the door. "It's me, Hinata," the soft, feminine voice answered. "I brought you some tea."

_What's this? _Sasuke thought, irritated. _Is everyone determined to keep me from working?_

"Come in, then, if you must." Sasuke swung the swiveling chair around, and watched as Hinata entered the room. She kept her head down, walking hesitantly as if she were trying to avoid crushing eggshells underfoot.

Sasuke grunted as she put a small, silver tray down next to the computer. "Your job is cooking and cleaning, not interrupting my work."

For a brief second, Sasuke thought he saw a brief flash of anger in her pale eyes, but then it fled and Sasuke dismissed it as a trick of the light. "I'm sorry, Mr. Uchiha. I just thought you might want something to drink. In the future, I won't presume."

Sasuke waved a hand in dismissal. "Since you're here, I might as well drink it." He took a sip and made a face, gesturing to the cup with disgust. "Are you trying to poison me? There must be a pound of sugar in here!"

"Just one cube, actually," Hinata replied calmly.

"Didn't Naruto tell you I don't take sugar with my tea?"

"I didn't think to ask him," Hinata replied, sounding a little sarcastic. "In the future, I'll make sure your tea is bitter…" she turned away, and if it hadn't been for Sasuke's sharp hearing he would have missed the muttered, "…just like your personality."

He almost called her back, but realized too late that this conversation had already gone on long enough. For that matter, why had he even complained about the tea in the first place? He had just been thinking of something to say, and that's what had popped out. It was stupid, and he wished he could take it back. Next time he would have to drink tea without sugar… wait, who said there was going to be a next time? He would just tell her not to bring him tea anymore. But not now. Now he needed to work.

Sasuke turned back to the computer, and once again his fingers flew at top speed. But every now and again, he fancied he saw a woman's face reflected in the screen, with bluish-black hair and pale eyes that seemed to see straight through him.

oOoOo

"I wonder if Sasuke likes girls with long hair," Hanabi mused, while looking at herself in the mirror and twirling a lock of her hair around one finger.

Hinata looked up from her current job, which was sewing a patch over a hole in Naruto's favorite orange jumpsuit. He had worn a jumpsuit just like it in high school, she remembered. You could see him coming a mile away. "If you were a ninja," she always used to tell him, "you'd never be able to sneak up on anybody." He would only laugh, and say that he never needed to sneak up on anybody, since everyone was always glad to see him. It wasn't far from the truth, either. Naruto's kind heart and unswerving loyalty won him a lot of friends, once they saw past his brash, childish exterior.

"He's 'Mr. Uchiha' to us, Hanabi," Hinata reminded her sister. "And I'm sure I have no clue what kind of girls he likes. Probably rich ones his own age. Two things which you most definitely are _not_."

Hanabi scoffed. "Five years isn't any kind of difference. Father and Mother were farther apart than that, and they did just fine. And I'll call him Mr. Uchiha when I see him. In fact, I'll call him anything he wants!" Hanabi gave a girlish giggle.

Hinata could only shake her head in amazement. How could she be related to this airhead? Still, Hanabi was young, Hinata reminded herself, and she'd never had to struggle with anything more difficult than which limousine to have the chauffeur drive her to school in. If mooning over Sasuke was distracting Hanabi from her grief, Hinata wouldn't fight the attraction too hard. As long as it didn't endanger their place in the household.

Thinking of Sasuke made Hinata miss a stitch. She cursed under her breath and redid it, imagining it was her employer that she was piercing with a needle, instead of an orange jumpsuit.

How could someone be so abrasive and so ridiculous at the same time? First he yelled at her for trying to do something nice_, _and then he said the tea wasn't made right. Honestly, how was _she _supposed to know he didn't want sugar? Even if he had a strong preference, he could have at least been nice about it. Hinata hoped that he hadn't heard her whispered comment. She hadn't meant to say anything, it had just slipped out.

Hinata had seen people like Sasuke in medical school, hard-working students who nevertheless thought the world existed only for them. _I'll bet he's never wondered what other people think in his life,_ Hinata thought. _He only cares about his work and himself. _

Hanabi walked away from the mirror and flopped down on the circular sofa that took up the majority of the basement floor. She pointed the remote control at the little television that Naruto had bought for them the day before. _He really has done too much for us, _Hinata thought, blushing a little at the memory of her friend's generosity. He had bought them a tv, and extra clothes, and even promised to take care of the cost of Hinata's school things for the fast-approaching fall term. Hinata had tried to argue, but it was like arguing with a blond avalanche. He simply rode over all her objections, and said it was the least he could do for a good friend from high school. Even Hanabi had been moved to say 'thanks' a few times.

Hinata finished patching Naruto's jumpsuit, as Hanabi found a particularly tragic drama to watch. Hinata might have stayed to watch, since she loved dramas, but it was time to start preparing dinner. She left her sister on the couch, and went upstairs to the kitchen.

While Sasuke's house didn't hold a candle to Hinata's one-time home at Hyuga Manor, the kitchen was still a blessing to someone who was used to Instant Ramen and EasyMac, warmed up late at night in a dorm microwave. With a well-stocked kitchen and the time to experiment, Hinata was discovering that cooking was hardly a chore so much as a nightly adventure. Sasuke had complained a few times about her offerings, but never very loudly. And Naruto went into raptures without fail, declaring that he should pay her three times what she was getting already, just for the food. Cooking couldn't hold a candle to being a doctor, which had been and still was Hinata's dream, but it was definitely the part of Hinata's job that she enjoyed the most.

If cooking was the highlight of her day, though, dinner had to be the moment she dreaded most. Every night they settled into the same pattern, and even though Hinata had only been living there for five days it seemed like an eternity.

At six exactly every night, Sasuke came down from his office. Normally he would have recently returned from work, but since today was a Sunday he'd been in his office all day. Naruto and Hanabi would file in a little later, and then everyone would start eating.

For the next hour, Hinata kept herself busy by shooting warning looks at Hanabi, who would be constantly glancing flirtatiously at Sasuke. Naruto seemed to find the whole situation hilarious, and would egg her on outrageously by saying things like, "how pretty you are today, Hanabi. Sasuke, don't you think she's pretty?"

At times like that, Hinata and Sasuke would both glare daggers at Naruto, who would only laugh. Sasuke's stony silence never seemed to waver during dinner, and immediately once he was done he would rise from the table, and go back up to his office. Hinata would have been worried that Hanabi was driving him away, but Naruto told her that was his usual routine.

That night, Naruto was doing his best to facilitate some kind of conversation. "Hinata's going to be a doctor, Sasuke, did you know that? She was always the brilliant one in high school."

Sasuke only grunted. Hanabi leaned forward to grab the salt, lingering a little bit and trying to make her voice sound sultry. "Doctors are so boring, aren't they, Mr. Uchiha? And they have to study sooo much. All those boring books to read. There are so many better things to do with one's time."

_Please can I kick her? _Hinata wondered. But Hanabi would get the message sooner or later. Surely Sasuke's complete and utter indifference would get through her younger sister's thick skull. At least, Hinata hoped.

Once the meal was finally, mercifully, over, Sasuke went up to his room and Hanabi wandered back down to watch television. Naruto insisted on helping Hinata with the dishes, so they stood side-by-side in front of the sink. Hinata pulled on a pair of yellow gloves and began scrubbing the plates and silverware. Naruto rinsed and dried, humming a silly tune as he worked.

Hinata took the opportunity to think again just how lucky she was. How many people could say they had such a friend? Naruto was like a rock, sturdy like the floor beneath her feet. Now Hinata had hope, both for herself and Hanabi. The steady, mechanical work of washing dishes soothed Hinata, as did Naruto's –admittedly slightly off-key – humming. She let out a spontaneous sigh of satisfaction.

Naruto gave her a wry grin, and quirked one eyebrow slightly. "You like dishes that much, huh? I should have let you do them all yourself!"

Hinata only smiled, and flicked a few soapsuds at her friend. "I'm just happy. A week ago everything seemed so bleak, and now… now I really believe that things will turn around for us."

Naruto rubbed a plate idly with his drying cloth. "Of course they will! You're with me and Grumpy now. What could possibly go wrong?"

_A lot of things, _Hinata thought, _after all, I didn't think anything could possibly happen to my Father, and it did anyway. _But she didn't say anything. Instead, she grinned back at her friend, giving him the reassurance he needed. "Nothing, Naruto. The Hyuga family was down and out, but now we're up and swinging. Watch out, world!" Hinata brandished a soapy brush menacingly, threatening imaginary foes.

Like always, Naruto's laugh made her feel that everything really would be all right. Then a thoughtful look came on Naruto's face. Hinata was so unaccustomed to seeing anything like it that she stopped scrubbing, and stared at him for a second.

"I forgot…" Naruto began slowly, "I meant to ask you about… about your father."

Hinata looked down, but nodded permission for him to continue. It was a conversation they needed to have, or at least, one that Naruto wouldn't let her avoid.

"How is it that he didn't leave you anything?" Naruto asked. "It just doesn't make sense. Even though he cut you off, he must have wanted to provide for Hanabi. Didn't she have any idea of what your father was planning?"

Hinata shook her head wearily. "I've asked her, many times. She never talked about money with Father… I mean, never talked about it except when she was asking for some. She didn't know a thing about how the Company was run. He wanted her to go into business school after college, but at the time, he let her do whatever she wanted. She doesn't know any of the details of his will."

"What about his lawyers? Didn't you talk to them?"

"I tried to get a hold of them," Hinata replied. "But we were kicked out of our house only days after Father's death. I was too busy trying to find work and a place to stay. But I'm convinced there was no will. If there had been, they would have found us. No, I think Father just put it off. He thought he was going to have time to groom Hanabi to take over the company. Then, when he died, somebody seized the opportunity. Tough for us, but that's the way of the business world. It's nobody's fault."

Hinata paused for a second, and handed Naruto a sudsy iron pot. She looked at her friend for a moment, trying to communicate that it was all right. "I'm looking to the future, not the past. I've got Hanabi, and that's all that matters. If putting myself through college taught me anything, it's that I can't expect the world to solve my problems."

"But that's exactly the thing, Hinata," Naruto said seriously. "You worked hard to obtain your college education. You were on track to become a doctor. Then this happens, and you gave up your dream. It's not right."

Hinata covered his hand with one of her soapy gloves. "Maybe it's not right. But that's how it is. Once Hanabi's safely in college I can move out, find a job, and start taking night classes. I'll still achieve my dream." Hinata grinned, as a phrase that Naruto had used to say in high school rose to the front of her mind, carried by some wisp of memory.

"Believe it."


	4. Episode 4

**A/N: **More of the big picture is revealed, and Hinata sees a side of Sasuke she wouldn't have expected. Read and Review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Episode 4**

On Monday, August 24th, at 3:00 in the afternoon, the employees at Hidden Leaf Law Consultants witnessed something extraordinary. Naruto left work early. As he gathered up his papers and stuffed them in his briefcase, the office came alive with suspicious whispering. What could have driven him to leave so soon? Naruto was the first to come in every morning, and generally the last to leave. If someone had to work late for a certain case, Naruto had been known to stay and keep them company, just to fetch papers or chat. It was his dream to become the youngest partner the firm had ever had, and in terms of effort there was no question he was suited for it. So what was it, curious employees asked each other as they passed in the halls, by the water-cooler, or in the bathroom; what could be so important that he had to leave early?

Many eyes followed Naruto on his way to the door, but as he walked out into Seoul's busy streets he was alone once again. No one saw him head towards the prosperous, industry-driven district that was home to, among other large businesses, the famous car company Hyuga Motors. With one ten-minute stop for a bowl of ramen on the way, Naruto reached the company's main executive building in twenty minutes. At 3:25 he was in the lobby, bypassing the few employees who tried to waylay him at the entrance. He headed straight for the main desk, where an official-looking woman with a name-tag was waiting patiently.

"How can I help you today, sir?" she asked politely.

Naruto gave her his best smile, which had been known to sway completely hostile juries in the courtroom. Although Sasuke was technically a better lawyer, not even Sasuke had Naruto's talent for making potential enemies into friends.

"I hope so," Naruto replied. "I'm a lawyer for Hidden Leaf Law Consultants, and I was looking for a friend of mine. We've been out of touch since high school days, but I heard from another friend that Neji's working here. I'm thinking about potentially switching to corporate law, so I thought I could reconnect with my old friend while picking his brain about the ins and outs of lawyering for businesses."

"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked. From her stony, indifferent expression, it was clear that Naruto's charm wasn't having much effect.

"No, but if you call Neji, and tell him that Naruto Uzumaki is here to see him, I'm sure he'll be able to spare me a few minutes."

She picked up the phone on the counter, and dialed an extension number. "Mr. Hyuga?" she said into the phone. "I have a Mr. Uzumaki here to see you. He says he knows you from high school." There was silence for a few seconds, as the secretary listened to whatever Neji was telling her.

"Right, of course. I'll send him up." The secretary put down the phone, and gave Naruto a smile that practically oozed insincerity. "Mr. Hyuga will see you now. He's on the fourth floor, in the corner office."

"Thanks for your help!" Naruto gave her a little wave, and made straight for the stairs. He was on the fourth floor in no time. When he saw Neji's office, he whistled in appreciation. It was bigger than any of the offices at Hidden Leaf, much bigger even than the office belonging to the Senior Partner, Mr. Sarutobi. Transparent glass walls separated the office from the hallway, but allowed passersby to see just how luxurious it was. The windows took up almost the entire outside wall, offering a beautiful view of downtown Seoul.

Neji saw Naruto at the same time that Naruto saw him, so the older lawyer got up to open the door. "Neji," Naruto said, "it's been a long time."

Neji shook his hand, regarding Naruto with a kind of placid curiosity. "Indeed it has. What brings you here?"

"Well, it's been such a long time since high school, I wanted to reconnect. Also, I was hoping I could get your opinion on switching to corporate law. I've recently been debating whether I should change things up."

"I'm touched that you took the time just to visit me," Neji said dryly. He walked over to the revolving chair behind his desk, and motioned for Naruto to sit down in the chair opposite. "Although I don't recall that we were ever on very friendly terms. And the Naruto I remember was dead-set against ever becoming… what did you call it? That's right: a toady in a suit. You were determined to be a lawyer for the common man. Has the job disillusioned you so soon?"

Naruto put his hands up in mock surrender. "All right, you got me. No, I'm happy at Hidden Leaf, and I'm doing the kind of work I love to do. You always were sharp, Neji."

Neji didn't acknowledge the compliment, but only took a sip from the mug of coffee by his right hand. "Well," Neji began, putting the mug back down, "if you're not here for career advice, and you're not – and I'm reasonably confident that you're not – here to rekindle an old relationship that we never had, why _are _you here?"

Naruto sighed, and his manner changed slightly. He leaned forward a little in his chair, and met Neji's eyes directly. This was the Naruto from the courtroom, who knew he was talking to a potentially uncooperative witness. "I'm here because I ran into your cousins the other day. I'm sure you remember those cousins, right Neji? Hinata and Hanabi?"

Neji's pale eyes, the characteristic of the Hyuga family, became even paler, and Naruto fancied that the older lawyer was radiating waves of cool disdain. "Of course I remember my cousins," said Neji, without inflection. "What of it?"

To anyone who spent much time around Naruto, the depth of sarcasm in his voice would have been shocking. "I was hoping you had forgotten about them. Because then I could remind you. But now, I'm finding it hard to accept that you knew your cousins had been kicked out of their home, and didn't do anything about it. That's not _my _idea of a good cousin."

When Neji answered, his voice was almost a snarl. Naruto had obviously touched a nerve. "A _good cousin_? Of course, that's what was always expected of me. Get my law degree and come work in the family business, killing myself for scraps while Hanabi gets everything handed to her. I couldn't even choose a different company to work for, or else Hiashi would have cut me off without a cent, and used his influence to make sure I couldn't get a job anywhere else."

Naruto snorted, unimpressed. "Well, now Hiashi's dead. And here you are in your plushy office," Naruto looked around pointedly at the sleek furnishings and large windows, "and you don't do a damn thing to help your own cousins, who needed you."

Neji smirked cruelly, taking a slow, deliberate sip of his coffee. "I wouldn't expect _you, _of all people, to know how things are done in the business world. You, with your ideals and love of helping the underdog. I can assure you, Naruto, that the minute I made any move to help my cousins, this office would disappear, and I'd be out on the street before I could blink. Do you think that the new owners of this company would tolerate me, a Hyuga, offering aid to the dispossessed heirs of the old CEO? The only reason they kept me on was because I know how this company works, right down to the last car part on the assembly line. I saved my job because of my own merit, and I'm not going to jeopardize that by helping two women who never did anything for me."

During this speech, Naruto had grown so angry that his face looked like a beetroot. He stood up, his fists balled tightly against his sides. With a deep breath, he visibly gained control of himself. The anger in his voice was wound tightly, like a coiled spring. "I hope you're satisfied with yourself, Neji. Because you decided to save your career, two helpless women are alone out there, without a friend in the world. For all I know they could be dead right now, and if they are, it's on your conscience."

Neji merely steepled his hands, not in the least fazed by Naruto's outburst. "If it is their destiny to survive, then they will. If not, they won't. It's as simple as that."

"Don't give me that bullshit," Naruto growled. "You think I'm naïve, and maybe you're right. But I know enough about the law to realize that what happened to Hanabi and Hinata wasn't destiny, it was the result of calculated wrongdoing. Not only that, I know enough about Hiashi Hyuga to be confident that he would never have entrusted his will to anyone outside the family. Since you're the only Hyuga still working at Hyuga Motors, I don't think I need to look any further to see who is responsible for the fate of Hiashi's daughters. The missing will could only have gone missing because you got rid of it. You'd better hope that there's a higher power, and pray that it likes you, you son of a bitch. Because if not, I'll make you pay for what you've done."

"We're both lawyers, Naruto," Neji replied evenly, his pale eyes locked on Naruto's face. "As such, we know it's no use accusing someone without proof. Good day." He swiveled his chair, and began typing on his computer, dismissing Naruto as completely as if he'd forgotten he was there.

Naruto made a sound almost like a snarl, and turned abruptly around. His outstretched arm almost tipped the chair over, and he stormed out of Neji's office looking like a berserker on a rampage. Neji sipped his coffee slowly, until Naruto's angry footsteps faded into silence. Then he sighed, and slumped over in his chair, as if exhausted. His eyes took on a haunted look, as he stared at his reflection in the shiny surface of his desk. Then he took out his cell phone, and made a call.

"Mr. Hyuga. What is it?" The voice was cold, dispassionate. It was the voice of a man without a soul.

"I just had a visit from a lawyer I went to school with. He was friends with my cousin, and wants to find out what happened to the will."

There was a moment of silence, and then… "Thank you for informing me so promptly. I am impressed by your initiative and loyalty."

Neji grimaced with anger, but regained control without making a sound. "It was nothing. You would have been notified soon, anyway." His voice held a faint trace of bitterness.

The voice chuckled without humor. "Of course. I know everything that goes on, in all of my companies. But if you hadn't called me, I might have been suspicious."

"I should hope that by now I've earned your trust," Neji said stiffly. "I have never done anything against your express commands, and it was only with my help that you acquired the company without trouble."

"On the contrary, Mr. Hyuga," the voice responded. "It seems trouble has indeed found us, in the form of your lawyer friend."

"I can take care of it," Neji declared, his voice taking on a slightly desperate tinge. "Just remember our promise. You leave them alone. We had a deal, and I carried out my end of it."

"Of course, of course," the voice said soothingly. "I promised you, and I never break my promises. As long as the truth remains a secret, I won't touch a hair on your cousins' pretty heads. But Mr. Hyuga," the voice turned cold, and Neji visibly shivered, "make sure the lawyer finds no proof. Otherwise, I'd hate to think about what accidents might befall your cousins. Do we understand each other?"

Neji looked at his phone with revulsion and loathing, as if it were a snake he wanted to crush underfoot. But his voice, when he spoke, was steady, even if his face trembled with repressed emotion. "Perfectly."

"Good." There was a loud _click_, and then silence. Neji put his phone back in his pocket, and stared at the far wall of his office with eyes full of pain. _Crash! _Neji's fist slammed down on the table, sending papers and pencils flying. The next moment his expressionless mask was back, his pale eyes hard and cold.

He picked up his desk phone, and pressed 2. "Mica? Please cancel all my appointments for the afternoon. …Yes, all of them. Something has come up."

oOoOo

Hinata stood on tiptoes, balancing on the folding chair while trying to reach to the very top of the bookcase with the dustcloth. She was in Sasuke's office, trying to finish cleaning before he returned. He was normally home at 5pm, which meant she had more than an hour before he got back. Because of that, Hinata had decided to dust the hard-to-reach places, like the tops of the bookcases. It wasn't a tough job, and Hinata amused herself by reading the titles of Sasuke's books while she worked.

His shelves were filled with law tomes; dusty, huge books that looked about as soulless as books could be. But here and there Hinata found titles that intrigued her considerably. Why, for instance, did Sasuke possess a leather-bound copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War? Slightly more understandable was the tattered copy of _The Count of Monte Cristo, _since it was actually fun to read. And those two were the norm, Hinata found. Most of Sasuke's fiction was either depressingly morbid or bloodthirsty. _To each their own, _Hinata supposed, _but honestly, shouldn't he have at least one book with a happy ending?_

Hinata was reaching a little farther out, stretching to get the dust on the far end of the bookshelf, when a familiar voice startled her.

"There is something very disconcerting about coming into one's room, and finding someone already there."

Sasuke's dry voice hit Hinata like a spray of cold water, and she jerked her hand back quickly. Unfortunately, in her haste to turn around she moved too quickly, and lost her balance. Hinata had just time enough to see Sasuke running toward her, a completely unfamiliar expression of dismay on his face, before she hit her head on one of the shelves of the bookcase with a sharp _crack. _Sasuke caught her before she fell the rest of the way to the floor, but as Hinata had already blacked out, she didn't notice.

When Hinata came to, she was lying on the couch downstairs, her head cushioned by a small, fluffy pillow. There was a cool, damp press on her forehead, which was held there gently, but firmly, by somebody's hand. Hinata tried to turn her head to see whose hand it was, but the hand holding the cold press pushed a little harder, keeping her still.

"None of that," Sasuke's voice warned. "First tell me how many fingers I'm holding up."

He waved two fingers in front of her face with his other hand. "Two," Hinata snapped impatiently. She pushed his hand away with her own, holding the cold pack against her forehead, which ached abominably. "I'm not a child, I can hold it myself."

She turned her head sidewise, and Sasuke came into view. He was sitting next to her in the same folding chair that she had fallen off of. "How long was I out?" she demanded.

"Only a few minutes," Sasuke reassured. Then he smirked, making Hinata want to hit him. "And I disagree with you about not being a child. Who else but a child would have jumped like that, as if I'd caught you with your hand in the cookie jar?"

"It's your fault," Hinata said, in a tone that sounded peevish to her own ears. "You're not supposed to come home for another hour!"

Sasuke looked surprised, then amused. "I had to get some papers for work. I didn't realize there were restrictions on when I'm allowed to visit _my _home."

Hinata realized she'd better change the subject, because this was one argument in which she definitely didn't have the upper hand. "I'm going to get up," she said, making as if to sit upright."

Sasuke's put his hands on her shoulders, gently but insistently pushing her back down. "Don't even think about it," he warned. "I don't know if you have a concussion."

Hinata's left hand was still holding the ice pack, so only her right hand was free. When she put it over Sasuke's hand, there was a feeling like a spark of electricity through her hand. She pulled it away like she had been burned. Suddenly she realized how close Sasuke was, how he was leaning out of the chair to keep her from sitting up. Her heart started beating a little faster. "Let me go," she warned, though her voice was fainter than she would have liked.

"Only if you promise not to move until Naruto gets back. He's trained in first aid, and if he says you're ok, I believe him. Otherwise, it's the hospital for you."

"Fine," Hinata said sarcastically. "Happy?"

Sasuke eyed her closely, then grunted. "Hn. All right, then." He let go of her shoulders, and leaned back. Hinata closed her eyes, focusing on getting her heartbeat back to normal. It was just that he had been so close, Hinata told herself, and that her body was still in fight-or-flight mode after the fall. That was the only reason she'd reacted the way she did. It had nothing to do with the concerned look in his eyes as he leaned over her, or the way his dark eyes seemed to capture her in their depths… No! Hinata shook her head, trying to drive out the strange thoughts that were coming into her head.

She couldn't help but wince at the surge of pain that accompanied the motion. Sasuke leaned forward instinctively, and his tone was worried when he asked, "are you all right?"

"Yes," Hinata said faintly, "just… headache."

Sasuke seemed to regain control of himself, and smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "As a former student of medicine yourself, I'll bet you've recognized one of the tell-tale signs of a concussion. Now are you convinced you should stay put?" He continued before she could reply. "I'll make you some tea for the headache." He got up and walked to the kitchen, where he put a kettle full of water on the stove.

Hinata closed her eyes, enjoying the relief the darkness brought, and the feel of the cold ice against her forehead. A few minutes later, Sasuke brought a warm mug of tea over to the couch. "Here," he said, holding the mug out.

Hinata made sure that her hand never touched his when she took the mug. "Thanks." She took a careful sip, raising her head just a little so the warm liquid wouldn't spill. The scented steam rising from the mug smelled delicious, and she inhaled deeply.

"That's the proper way to prepare tea," Sasuke commented. "Notice how I didn't add enough sugar to induce cardiac arrest."

Hinata didn't bother taking the trouble to answer, but continued to sip her tea in silence. Sasuke kept talking, sounding a little annoyed about her lack of response. "You know, my time is extremely valuable, and you've wasted a lot of it just now. I may bill you for what you've cost the company."

"Go ahead," Hinata said, unconcerned. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

Sasuke's eyes flashed, and he looked like he was going to say something, when Hanabi came in the front door. "Hello, I'm ho-" she cut off when she saw Hinata on the couch. "Hinata, are you ok?" she cried. "Mr. Uchiha, what happened?"

For some reason Hinata couldn't explain, she felt as though Hanabi had interrupted a private moment. She felt obscurely annoyed at her, as odd as that was. Sasuke obviously didn't feel the same way, because he rose to his feet and greeted Hanabi smoothly.

"Your sister was exceedingly clumsy today," he told Hanabi dryly. "Now that you're here, I can get back to work. Please make sure your sister doesn't move until Naruto gets back, and ask him if he thinks she ought to go the hospital."

He left while Hanabi was still gaping like a fish, leaving her alone with Hinata. Hanabi rushed over to her older sister, trying to ask too many questions at once to be understood.

"I'm fine, honestly," Hinata told her sister. "I fell while cleaning, but it's completely all right. The worst I might have is a concussion, but I'm willing to bet I don't have one. I'm thinking completely clearly."

Once Hanabi was convinced that Hinata was functioning completely fine, her mind naturally gravitated to an issue of much greater importance. "And so Sasuke was nursing you? How adorable! Maybe I should pretend to be sick; then he'll stay by my side and take care of me."

Hinata could only shake her head. "Hanabi, the moment you try anything like that I'll injure you for real. Besides, he wouldn't do anything of the kind. He only stayed with me because Naruto wasn't here."

"But he made you tea, didn't he?" Then Hanabi's eyes narrowed in mock seriousness, and she wagged a finger at Hinata. "But don't think he likes you more than me just because he took care of you! He's mine, you got that?"

Hinata _shushed _her sister violently, and told her to start dinner, since she wouldn't be able to until Naruto got back. As Hanabi began preparing the ingredients, complaining loudly the entire time, Hinata stared at her hand. She thought she could feel a ghost of a sensation, a lingering remnant of the shock she'd felt when her hand had touched Sasuke's.

_Damn it, _Hinata thought crossly, _what's happening to me?_


	5. Episode 5

**A/N: **Thanksgiving Break, hurray! Here's a short chapter, which will set things up for a few new developments. Get ready to see a lot of familiar faces in the next few updates. Please review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Episode 5**

"But I don't want to!" Hanabi's shrill whine was well and truly beginning to get on Hinata's nerves. Luckily, this time it wasn't Hinata who was trying to get the spoiled teen to do something against her wishes. It was Naruto, and in a battle of will between the hot-headed Hanabi and the pig-headed Naruto, Hinata would put her money on Naruto every time. He could out-stubborn an oak tree if he tried.

"I don't care!" Naruto shouted back, the loudness of his voice contrasting with the laughing kindness of his blue eyes. "You're going shopping with me, even if I have to drag you there the whole way!"

Hanabi pointed an accusing finger at Hinata, who was sitting on the couch, feigning oblivion to the little drama being enacted in the kitchen. "How come you're not making _her _go? She's not doing anything!"

Naruto rolled his eyes expressively at Hinata, who almost burst into laughter in the face of Hanabi's accusatory tone. Then Naruto gave her a broad wink, and began speaking to Hanabi with a wicked glint in his eye. "You're right, I suppose, Hanabi. Your sister really isn't doing anything. She's selfishly resting after cleaning the kitchen and the bathrooms, when she probably hasn't even worked up a sweat. I'll tell you what. Hinata can go shopping with me, and starting from tomorrow you two can switch jobs. I've heard you complaining enough to know that your job of keeping the basement clean must be _much _more strenuous than what Hinata's doing. So how does switching sound?"

Hanabi glared sullenly at the cheerful blond. It was clear from her expression that she knew this was a fight she could only lose. She ducked her head in sullen acceptance. "Fine. Let's just get this over with. And you have to promise not to embarrass me in front of anyone."

Naruto made a cross over his heart with one hand. "Me, embarrass you? I wouldn't dream of it!" He winked at Hinata again as he started the laborious process of actually getting Hanabi out of the house. Eventually she put on her coat and boots, though not without a good deal of complaining, and the two left the house to go shopping. Before the door closed, however, Naruto ducked his head back in. "We'll be back in around two hours," he said to Hinata. "If you're not asleep when we get back, I'll fire you." He gave Hinata a sunny smile. "But seriously, you've worked too hard lately. Get some rest; I'll take care of dinner today."

Before Hinata had a chance to protest, Naruto was gone and the door had closed with a soft _thud._

"You always manage to get the last word, Naruto," Hinata said, laughing a little. But instead of taking a nap, as Naruto had told her to do, she went down to her room in the basement and came up a few seconds later with a textbook.

It was one the only medical textbook that she hadn't sold when she'd first dropped out of med school, and contained information on diagnosing and treating many different illnesses. When she had free time and wasn't too exhausted, Hinata liked to read through the book, trying to commit as much of the information as possible to memory. It wasn't the same as being an actual student, but it was as close as she was likely to get for a while. Though it hurt every time she opened the book's cover, and remembered what she'd given up, Hinata kept returning to it. The textbook was the last physical connection she had to her dream.

Minutes passed, and Hinata began to feel her tiredness receding. Before long Hinata was totally absorbed in the text, unconsciously mouthing the words to herself as she read. So immersed was she, that she failed to notice that she had an audience.

oOoOo

Sasuke had never before felt much confusion about his emotions. Hatred, determination, the need for revenge; these were cold and clear realities, which drove him forward in a straight line toward his objectives. They allowed him to focus where others might falter, tempted by all of the tantalizing detours with which chance littered the road of life. Attraction, curiosity, concern, fear, love - they all seemed to him false paths, to be resolutely avoided as he fulfilled his project of vengeance.

But for some reason, stray emotions which had never before bothered him kept wandering into his mind, dispersing only to float once again through his consciousness. He knew their source, but the knowledge didn't help him any; not when the object of his discontent was living under the same roof, separated from him only by a flight of stairs and a few walls. Hinata, the maid he hadn't wanted to hire in the first place. The girl he'd only ever considered as a convenience not entirely worth the irritation that accompanied her presence in the house. But because of her, Sasuke was experiencing emotions that sprang up like weeds, refusing to disappear no matter how often or how viciously he cut them down.

Perhaps the problem had started with the incident with the tea, when Sasuke had first noticed his strange impulse to talk with Hinata, and her unaccountable ability to irritate him. But things had become more complicated when she had fallen and hit her head on his bookshelf. A pang shot through Sasuke's stomach at the memory, an echo of the violent lurch that he had felt the first time. Somehow, Hinata falling had made _him _feel vulnerable, which was absurd. And the strange energy that Sasuke had felt later in the living room had been even more absurd. When Hanabi had entered, Sasuke had felt as though he'd been caught doing something embarrassing, like going to work dressed only in boxers.

That night he hadn't even been able to concentrate on work, distracted by the intruding worry of whether or not Hinata was all right after her fall. He'd even been driven to go so far as to ask Naruto what the doctors had said. When Naruto had told him that Hinata was fine, Sasuke had only managed to repress a sigh of relief with the greatest effort. What was wrong with him? That someone so insignificant, so entirely unconnected with his life and goals, held such a strange hold over him, was both unprecedented and irritating. Who was she to make him worry, or to keep him from his work?

But here Sasuke cursed, realizing he'd been staring at his computer screen for a good five minutes without writing a word. "Fine," he muttered, glaring daggers at the innocent Mac, "I'll take a break."

He stood up, resolving to go downstairs and grab a snack, or maybe a glass of water. A tiny voice told him that he was really just checking to see if Hinata was downstairs, but he quashed that voice immediately. He was just taking a quick break, that was all.

But no sooner than Sasuke reached the top of the stairs, than he saw the cause of his confusion and irritation. She was sitting on the couch where Naruto normally watched television, leaning over a book. The light poking in from the kitchen window fell on her hair, illuminating it in a way that made it seem a deep blue color instead of its normal black. Not really sure why he was doing so, Sasuke stopped where he was, watching Hinata read. After a second, Sasuke realized that Hinata's lips were moving along with the words. For some reason that made the corners of Sasuke's mouth curve upward involuntarily.

It was obvious that Hinata was in her own little world, oblivious to the very couch underneath her, much less Sasuke standing on the stairs. Sasuke found himself becoming obscurely irritated. How dare she ignore his presence, when because of her Sasuke couldn't even concentrate on his work? Who did she think she was?

The fact that this wasn't logical at all didn't occur to Sasuke; he only knew that he resented her indifference to him, when she without any apparent effort negated all of his attempts to remain aloof. He began walking down the stairs, his feet falling louder on the wooden steps than was usual. He opened his mouth, not really sure what was going to come out.

"I wasn't aware that this house, in addition to becoming a hostel, was also serving as a public library."

Sasuke winced internally, realizing that the dripping sarcasm of his tone was making him sound like an ass. But Hinata didn't even so much as blink, which only increased Sasuke's determination to get her attention. "Oi, maid!" He accompanied his shout with a sharp clap, which brought Hinata's head up instantly. She blinked in confusion, looking a little like a bear just coming out of hibernation.

"What?"

Sasuke grimaced, and pointed an accusing finger at her. "I said, since when has my house become a public library? Do I employ you to read books?"

Hinata started in surprise. "No," she said instantly, but then recovered herself. A rebellious light filled her eyes, and instead of acting like a deer caught in the headlights she turned Sasuke's sarcasm back on him. "Since when have you concerned yourself with how I do my job, or what I do when I'm on break?"

Sasuke paused, momentarily at a loss. "Since," he said, and then paused again, stalling for time. "Since I lost confidence that you've been doing the job we're paying you for." Again, Sasuke almost winced at the words coming out of his mouth. Something about Hinata just made him say things involuntarily, like word vomit, which tasted bitter coming out and which he wished he could have held back.

"Oh? If I'm not doing my job to satisfaction, please tell me what I can do to improve." The words were said calmly, even a little condescendingly, more like a professional humoring an opinionated onlooker than a humble employee listening to her boss.

Again, Sasuke couldn't think of anything to say, but he wasn't going to back down now; it would just make him look even more foolish. "You keep messing up my work space," he said at last. "You move things around, and the room isn't any cleaner when you've left it than when you came in."

Sasuke got the sense that Hinata was struggling to hold back a different response, but she said only, "I'll try to do better next time." From her repeated glances at the book in her lap, Sasuke got the sense that she was still only half-listening to him, and was just "yes-ing" him until he went away. At the sense of being humored by her, so totally different from the respect he was accustomed to receiving from people, Sasuke passed a sense of irritation and was well on his way to becoming infuriated.

Just as he was opening his mouth to really tell her off, the door slammed open. "We're back!" came Naruto's cheerful voice, followed by Hanabi's weary addition of, "…finally!"

Sasuke threw up his hands in frustration, while Hinata rapidly closed her book and stuffed it underneath a pillow. While turning to look at his roommate, Sasuke found himself reflecting that he had come downstairs in order to clear his thoughts, and he had only ended up feeling more disconcerted and off-center than before. And it was all Hinata's fault, he thought, with a sense of cosmic injustice. It was like she had come into his life just to plague him. And why had she hid the book from Naruto, when she didn't seem to care if Sasuke saw it? If Sasuke wasn't resolutely determined to not to care any more about anything that Hinata did, he would have been very curious.

At that moment, Hanabi looked up from taking her shoes off, and saw that Sasuke was in the living room. "Oh, Sasuke!" she cried out happily, immediately straightening and showing not a trace of the exhaustion that she'd exhibited a moment before. "Naruto and I went shopping for dinner tonight. I bought all your favorites."

Sasuke only grunted, staring at Hanabi with no small measure of incredulity. He still found it slightly surreal that he was sharing his house with a lovestruck teenager and her infuriating sister, and all because Naruto was too nice for his own good.

_Naruto. _Sasuke's lip curled as he looked at his only friend. Without the blond's penchant for trying to solve the world's problems, Sasuke would be able to enjoy his privacy like always. As he watched Naruto step into the entranceway, heavy shopping bags in both hands, Sasuke had a sudden, entertaining vision of smashing that blond head repeatedly into a wall. That would wipe the stupid grin right off Naruto's face, without a doubt.

That same grin was becoming a little sickly, since Naruto saw Sasuke's death glare and could probably guess its cause. He ushered Hanabi into the kitchen like a particularly attentive sheepdog. "Come on, Hanabi, the job's not done until the food is put away." He used her protests like a shield against Sasuke's accusing glance. Hinata rose from the couch to join the two of them, and together they emptied the bags in under a minute.

When they were done, Naruto flopped down on the couch. "I have an announcement," he declared, "and since we're all here I might as well make it now."

Sasuke made sure to show with his eyes just how uninterested he was, but didn't move to walk away. "Hinata," Naruto began, pointing at her dramatically, "I want to take you out tomorrow night!"

Hanabi made a mock gagging sound, which Sasuke didn't even hear. His heart skipped a beat, and he saw red. He began a step in Naruto's direction, fully intending to rip his friend a new one, before he caught hold of himself. After regaining control, he glanced at Hinata to see how she was reacting to Naruto's statement.

She was shaking her head knowingly, and walked over to swat Naruto on the back of the head playfully. "Cut it out, you drama queen. What's going on?"

Naruto grinned, making Sasuke feel like he'd missed something. Was Naruto not really asking Hinata out? _And why_, he thought, thoroughly pissed off at both Naruto and himself, _do I even care?_

"Ok, ok," Naruto responded, holding up his hands in mock surrender, "I was just playing. But there's a dinner tomorrow that I want to invite you to, you and Hanabi both. It's a dinner with the people I work with. They've heard about you, and they want to meet you!"

Hinata blushed, and looked at the ground. "Oh, Naruto, I couldn't. It would be so embarrassing, I mean, them knowing I'm your maid and everything…"

Naruto waved aside her protests like he was swatting pesky gnats. "Don't worry about that, I didn't tell them anything about you other than that you're a great friend from high school. Please, it would mean a lot for me. I want all my friends to be friends with each other! I'm not taking no for an answer!"

Sasuke stood still, thinking, dismissing the rest of the conversation as irrelevant. Hinata would protest some more, and Naruto would persevere until Hinata gave up and went along with his idea. It was Naruto's way; during college, Sasuke had more than once found himself going along with one of Naruto's crazy schemes, completely against his will.

What was interesting to Sasuke about Naruto's invitation was that he knew what dinner Naruto was talking about. It was an informal dinner that the Senior Partner of their firm, Mr. Sarutobi, held at his house every Sunday. He invited all of the younger workers to eat with him, encouraging them to bring any questions about the firm. The Senior Partner was a firm believer in making every employee, no matter how junior, feel like the company was a home for them, and that they had a share in making the company a better place. It was all a part of his oft-repeated project of preparing the next generation, which Sasuke had always listened to with impatience. Naruto had bought into the idea immediately, and considered the people he worked with as close friends, not just co-workers.

Still, it was very odd that Naruto would invite Hinata and her sister to the company dinner, even though Sasuke knew Mr. Sarutobi would never have told Naruto not to bring friends. The discussion often centered around specific cases that people were working at the time, so Hinata and Hanabi probably wouldn't have much in common with the usual crowd. Sasuke watched his friend curiously.

_What are you up to, Naruto?_

Hanabi had just finished asking a question, which Sasuke hadn't heard. However, the substance of it became clear when Naruto shook his head and replied, "No, Sasuke doesn't ever go to these things. He says they're too bor-"

Sasuke surprised himself no less than the other three, when he cut off Naruto by declaring, "I'm going."

"What?" Naruto looked at his friend in surprise.

_Why did I say that? _Sasuke thought. _Damn it, it's too late to take that back, I'll just have to go. I just hope Ino has found herself a nice boyfriend by now, and won't use this dinner as an excuse to start bothering me again._

"It's not a big deal," Sasuke said, nonchalantly brushing off an imaginary speck of dust from his shirt. "I just have a few things I'm going to pitch to the boss, about the lawsuit with Gato and the bridge. They could wait until Monday, but since Kiba will be there I can ask him how the investigation is going and kill two birds with one stone."

Neither of the girls seemed to question this explanation, for which Sasuke mentally breathed a sigh of relief, but Naruto was still looking at him with a mildly puzzled expression. The blond eventually shrugged. "All right then, it's settled. It's at 5:30 tomorrow, so if we're going to take the subway we should leave around 5. Don't worry about dressing up, you two, it's really informal. I can't wait, this is going to be so much fun!"

The four of them dispersed, each going about their business. Hinata went downstairs with Hanabi, since Naruto had said he would start dinner, while Sasuke motioned Naruto to follow him upstairs. When they were safe in his office with the door closed, Sasuke rounded on Naruto, determined to figure out the truth.

"Why did you invite them to the company dinner?" he demanded. "And don't give me that crap about wanting all your friends to meet each other, I know when you're using that innocent act to pull the wool over somebody's eyes."

Naruto's eyes were serious, holding no traces of their usual mirth. "I think they need more friends," he said bluntly. "They've left the only life they've ever known, and the only people they ever interact with are their employers. That's not healthy; they need people to interact with, just like everybody else. And Hanabi needs someone her own age - the boss's grandson is perfect. Konohamaru is a little spitfire, just like Hanabi. Maybe he'll be able to distract her from the adolescent crush she's got on you."

Sasuke's courtroom instincts were tingling. Everything Naruto was saying was true, but he knew there was something else, something Naruto wasn't telling him. "And that's it?" Sasuke asked pointedly. "You think introducing them to our coworkers is the answer? Hinata is a grown-up who's perfectly capable of leaving the house and finding her own friends, and Hanabi is going to school in a few weeks anyway. Why now?"

But Naruto only answered with a shrewd glance that seemed to pierce through Sasuke's defenses, just as he'd seen through Naruto's. "Why so concerned?" Naruto asked slowly. "Honestly, this isn't like you. Normally you wouldn't care less about what I do or why, and I don't think you've _ever _gone to one of Sarutobi's dinners before." Then Naruto grinned, and punched Sasuke in the shoulder. "Don't tell me you've started to feel sorry for them? The ice-man himself, thawed by a tale of woe? Ladies and gentlemen, be amazed: the great Sasuke has found a heart at last!"

Sasuke gave this the withering sneer it deserved. "Stop being ridiculous. I'm just interested in finding out why you're lying to me, and to them. Because there's obviously something you're not telling us, and that makes me worried. You've never kept secrets before."

Once again Naruto's grave expression came back, reminding Sasuke that of the prosecutors at Hidden Leaf, only Naruto had a track record that rivaled his. Despite his goofball appearance, Naruto was a damn good lawyer and a dangerous man to cross.

"I don't betray secrets that aren't mine to tell," Naruto finally responded. "I'll just say this: I think it's very important that Hinata and her sister have people who know her well, and who will want to look out for her. Mr. Sarutobi especially, I expect will come to like Hinata very much. The more powerful people she's got in her corner, the safer she'll be."

"You think she's in danger?" Sasuke asked, startled. He was astounded at the steely gaze that Naruto fixed him with, his blue eyes revealing nothing.

"I only know that she's practically alone in the world, carrying a burden heavier than anyone should have to carry alone. She might be willing to give up friends and a life to survive with her sister, but I'm not prepared to let that happen. But then, I don't expect you to understand. It's been a long time since you've cared for anyone other than yourself."

Naruto left abruptly, leaving Sasuke standing, pole-axed, before the door. Naruto had never spoken to him like that before, never in all the years that they'd known each other. But his anger at Naruto's reproof seemed unable to take root. It was stopped in its tracks by different emotions, which he found almost frightening in their unfamiliarity. Part was concern, which surfaced at the thought that Hinata was facing some mysterious danger. And part was shame; an inexplicable, nagging shame that shrank from the memory of Naruto's stern eyes. Try as he might, Sasuke couldn't make either emotion go away. And for the first time in a great many years, Sasuke didn't know what he was going to do next.


	6. Episode 6

**A/N: **It's been a long time since my last update for this story, but I hope you're all still with me! I've been watching a few new Korean dramas which I thought I'd recommend to any of you who are looking for some satisfying television. City Hunter and Protect the Boss are my current favorites (City Hunter is on Hulu, Protect the Boss is on Viki), and they're really worth checking out. Anyway, the story resumes with Sarutobi's weekly dinner, where Hinata and Hanabi get to meet the whole crew at Hidden Leaf Law Consultants. Please review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters in this story.

**Episode 6**

Hinata wasn't sure if she was more grateful to Naruto or exasperated with him. She was grateful because he was taking her and her sister to the department store to buy casual dresses for that night's dinner party. She was exasperated because he had refused to accept that the clothes she had were _fine_, thank you very much.

"You look like a slob who just walked in out of the rain," Naruto had said, his smiling eyes showing he was only joking. "Come on, I love shopping, and Sasuke never wants to go."

That argument had ended - as all arguments with Naruto did - with him getting his way, and now Hinata and Hanabi were walking through rows and rows of expensive dresses. For Hinata it was strange and uncomfortable; the luxury around her was making her feel more than a little out of place. As for Hanabi, it was as if the younger girl had come home. She was flitting in and out of the shelves like a particularly annoying fairy, exclaiming over dresses that she had owned and dresses that she wanted to buy. Hinata didn't have the heart to scold her - a little harmless window shopping couldn't hurt, and it might make Hanabi more inclined to behave at Mr. Sarutobi's house later that night.

"What about this sexy number?" Naruto asked Hinata with a smirk, holding up a slinky red dress with a plunging neckline.

Hinata laughed, and wagged her finger at Naruto playfully. "Are you kidding? I don't think Hanabi could fit into that dress, so forget about me."

Naruto put the dress back on the rack, wearing a mock mournful expression. "Ok, you pick something then."

"Naruto," Hinata complained, "I really don't need a dress. I'll wear the clothes I own; I'm not ashamed or anything." A few clothes racks away, Hanabi looked up from her blissful examination of bright cocktail dresses to loudly disagree with Hinata's statement.

"You don't have a choice," Naruto said firmly. "Think of it as a bonus for the fantastic work you've been doing. Besides, isn't it the sworn duty of a well-off bachelor like myself to shower young ladies with presents? To refuse to let me buy you each a dress wouldn't just be injuring me, it would be spitting in the face of our society, or our very culture! Shame on you for even thinking such things!"

With a sigh of defeat, Hinata turned to explore on her own. If she couldn't get Naruto to give up his extravagant charity, the next best thing would be to find a dress that was tasteful, understated, but above all, _cheap._

She found what she was looking for on a rack close to the back wall. It was almost hidden from sight, which appealed to Hinata because that was what she hoped to be for the majority of this dinner party. It was probably going to be awkward, meeting a group of people who knew Naruto but not her, and who would no doubt assume that they had some kind of relationship. On top of that, Hanabi would doubtless make a fool of herself, and Hinata would end up wishing she could disappear into the floor. Wearing a dress with darker colors was most likely as close as she could get.

The dress she chose was dark blue, almost black, with a modest neckline. Even more important, the price listed on the tag was modest as well. Hinata went to the changing room to try it on, and was impressed in spite of herself. It was very flattering, and went nicely with her dark hair. If dresses could be said to have personality, this one was quiet but not shy, confident without drawing attention. Or at least, Hinata reflected while looking in the mirror, that was what she hoped to convey. Whether she succeeded or not would be determined tonight.

Hinata wasted no time in putting her jeans and sweatshirt back on, and put the dress on a hangar. She left the changing rooms and went in search of her sister and Naruto. Predictably, Hanabi was in the middle of a shouting match. She had three dresses over her arm, and she was yelling at an increasingly red-faced Naruto that she wanted _all_ of them. Hinata decided to give Naruto a hand.

She walked up behind her sister and smacked her lightly on the back of the head. "Ow!" Hanabi broke off in mid-sentence.

"Don't be a brat, 'Nabi. If you don't pick one of those I won't let you come to the dinner."

Naruto mouthed silent thanks over Hanabi's shoulder, while the teen pouted and whined. But Hinata wouldn't budge, and after a few more attempts Hanabi discarded two of the dresses in favor of a light green dress that was only just modest enough to meet Hinata's requirements. After that, they couldn't leave the store fast enough to satisfy Hinata, who felt more and more that Sasuke disliking shopping was one of the first sensible things she'd learned about her confusing and enigmatic employer.

Hinata told herself sternly not to think about him, and for the most part during the drive home she succeeded. If she occasionally wondered how he would look in a jacket and tie, and found herself enjoying the mental image, well… thought was free, and she wasn't planning on telling anyone. Besides, all she had to do was remember the many insulting comments she'd suffered from him, and her appreciation of his good looks evaporated instantly, replaced by irritation. Ok… maybe she didn't succeed in putting Sasuke out of her mind as much as she would have liked.

But Hinata did have a good distraction, in the form of worrying about the dinner. By mid-afternoon, all thoughts of Sasuke were replaced with a persistent anxiety that Naruto's friends would, a) not like her, b) think she was sleeping with Naruto, c) find out she was a maid, or d) just plain hate her guts. She knew she was being irrational, but she couldn't seem to stop. She tried on her dress a half-dozen times, only to take it off and admonish herself for acting like all the hair-brained girls she'd always looked down on in college. Still, it was a nerve-wracking prospect: this was the first social engagement Hinata had had in a long time, and she wanted it to go well.

Meanwhile, Hanabi was in an enviable state of pure confidence. She flopped on the couch in the basement as soon as they got back, and immersed herself in a reality show. Finally Hinata couldn't stand it anymore, and went upstairs to find Naruto. He was also watching tv, and crunching dry ramen noodles as he flipped channels. Hinata sat down next to him, and made a barfing noise.

"You're a pig, you know that, Naruto? It would take two minutes to make a bowl of ramen. In fact, you could even get me to do it for you. That's what you pay me for, you know."

Naruto waved his hand lazily, scattering some of the fragile noodles onto the carpet. "Nah, they taste just fine like this. Hey, you look frazzled. What's up - oh, I know. You're worried about the dinner."

Hinata could only nod sheepishly. As dumb as Naruto could be, he was also at times amazingly perceptive. He proved it yet again by turning off the tv, and turning to Hinata with a smile. "All right, I'll tell you everything you need to know. The Who's Who of Hidden Leaf. By the time you get to dinner you'll feel like you know everybody there already. Ok?"

Laughing, Hinata rearranged herself on the couch so she could pay better attention. "Bring it on. I memorized entire medical textbooks; a few names and facts shouldn't be a problem."

"Here we go, then." Naruto counted off on his fingers, and stopped at five. "There's five of my colleagues who will probably be there, not counting Sasuke or Mr. Sarutobi. First, because he always likes to go first, is Kiba. He's our firm's best investigator. You'll like him; he's a really nice guy. And he'll like you, because he likes every pretty girl he sees. Next we have Shino, who's good friends with Kiba. Shino is a bit… well, weird. He collects bugs, and he doesn't talk much. Conversations between Shino and Kiba are a lot of fun, because you're never sure if Shino actually says anything, or if Kiba is just reading his thoughts."

Hinata nodded to show she was following along. And so far, it didn't seem bad at all. Neither Kiba nor Shino sounded like the kind of person who would look down on a newcomer.

"The last three we call the Three Musketeers. Their families all go way back, and they practically grew up together. There's Choji, who loves to eat more than pretty much anything. He's really mild-mannered, just don't call him fat. A client made that mistake once, and he went to the hospital with a broken arm. We had to earn our pay that week, to make sure Choji didn't get sent to jail. Next is Shikamaru, who's sort of the brains of our group. He never has to look up any cases; he's got them all in his head, and he never overlooks a single loophole. But he's so lazy that he's almost more trouble than he's worth. And last, but only because, as she'll tell you herself, she's the most important, we have Ino. She's our best cross-examiner; no witness is safe from her."

Naruto paused to shiver. "I'll tell you, I've seen her work, and it's creepy. It's almost like she's reading peoples' minds. But she can be nice, when she's not hitting on Sasuke. And she'll like you, because she's always saying that there aren't enough girls at the company. There's Kurenai, but she's a little older so she doesn't mix with us much."

Hinata concentrated on remembering the names, at the same time experiencing residual memories of staying up late into the night, studying for exams. "So there's Kiba, Shino, Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino. And you, Mr. Sarutobi, and Sasuke. Anyone else? Is Mr. Sarutobi married?"

"No," Naruto said at once, then paused and scratched his head. "Hmm. I've never asked him what happened to his wife. I know he had one, because there are pictures of a really pretty lady around the house, and his son Asuma works at the firm too. Oh, and I forgot: the boss' grandson Konohamaru will be there. He's the same age as Hanabi, so hopefully they'll hit it off. He's fiery, just like her, so don't worry about Hanabi doing anything embarrassing. Odds are Konohamaru will do worse. Does all that help?"

Hinata let out a breath, and nodded. "Yeah, it does. At least I know who I'm going to be embarrassing myself in front of." Naruto looked annoyed and was about to respond sharply, but Hinata cut him off. "I'm only joking. It will be fine. So I should bring Hanabi upstairs around 5:30?"

"That'll be fine. Sasuke's working at the office, no surprise - he'll join us at Sarutobi's house."

Feeling a little calmer, Hinata went back downstairs to join Hanabi. She was even able to watch reality tv with her sister, and stop nervously biting her fingernails.

At 5:30 Hinata and her sister were dressed and ready to go. They met up with Naruto and left together. In the back seat, Hanabi was practically bouncing out of her seat, so excited was she to be attending grown-up parties. Hinata, despite her firm resolution, was still extremely nervous and only kept from fidgeting with great effort.

Some minutes later, the car turned into a neighborhood full of traditional Korean homes, called _hanok_. They all had beautiful sloping roofs and colorful tiles, and most featured carefully tended gardens in front of the houses. It was as if they had left the busy city of Seoul and been transported back in time.

"They're beautiful!" Hinata exclaimed. "And Mr. Sarutobi lives here?"

"Yes," Naruto replied. He pointed to the second house on the left, which had a statue of a large monkey standing guard in the garden. "Right there. And it looks like everyone's already here!" He gestured farther down the street, where a black and a silver convertible were parked sloppily against the curb.

Naruto turned to Hinata as he pulled the car to a stop, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, all right? Everything's going to be fine."

Hinata took a deep breath, trying to settle the butterflies in her stomach, and gave Naruto a bright smile. "Who's worried? I'm not worried."

The blatant lie drew a chuckle from Naruto. "That's the spirit."

Naruto and the Hyuga sisters left the car parked in the street, and walked up to the entrance of the house. On the door was a wide, iron knocker in the shape of a leaf.

"Really?" Hanabi complained. "Have the people in this neighborhood never heard of doorbells?"

Naruto gave the door a couple of hard raps. "It's not that they haven't," he explained, "but people who buy traditional homes like this one are trying to hold on to a sense of history. Mr. Sarutobi says living without a lot of modern conveniences allows him to appreciate the richness of life. Of course, he also has a home theater system with surround sound, which sort of spoils the effect."

The door opened just as Naruto was finishing his sentence, revealing the person Naruto had just been talking about. Hinata's first impression of Mr. Sarutobi was that he had aged very well; though his face was creased with wrinkles, he seemed in shape and spry for his age. The next thing Hinata noticed was the kind light in his eyes. Hinata had never met him before, and yet she felt that he already viewed her as a friend. Instinctively, without quite knowing how or why, Hinata trusted him.

"I hear you slandering my good name," Mr. Sarutobi said, pointing an accusatory finger at Naruto. "And I'll have you know that my home theater system is only so that my grandson will decide to come home every now and again, instead of staying out and getting into trouble with his hoodlum friends."

"Don't believe him," Naruto said to Hanabi and Hinata in a confiding tone. "He probably watches dirty movies when Konohamaru's not around."

"Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed, and punched him in the arm. "How can you speak like that to your boss?"

Since she was busy hitting Naruto, Hinata didn't see the sheepish expression flit across Mr. Sarutobi's face.

"Much as I appreciate you administering discipline to my most ill-mannered employee, I fear I'm being a bad host. My name, as you might already know, is Sarutobi. Please, come in and relax. You are all welcome in my home."

Hinata smiled, charmed by the old man's graciousness. "I'm Hinata, and this is my sister Hanabi. Thank you so much for having us."

"Not at all, not at all." Mr. Sarutobi ushered them inside. They paused in the entryway to take their shoes off, leaving them with a pile of other shoes by the door. Then they made their way into the house proper, admiring the spacious interior and tasteful decorations.

"My wife and I decorated this house together, almost forty years ago now," Mr. Sarutobi said, after Hinata had complimented him. "I like to keep it the way it was, so that her memory is always close. But come, dinner is almost ready, and you have to meet the rest of my motley crew!"

He led the small group into the dining room, where Hinata got her first glimpse of Naruto's friends and colleagues. None of them noticed the newcomers at first, because they were engrossed in watching what looked to Hinata like an arm-wrestling match. A heavy-set young man with a kind face was squaring off against a handsome, muscular guy with long, shaggy black hair and red tattoos on his cheeks. A blond woman and a slender man with a ponytail were cheering for the larger opponent, while a teenage boy and a strange-looking person wearing sunglasses and a high-collared jacket appeared to be rooting for the second opponent.

"Come on, Choji, kick his ass!" the woman yelled. This must be Ino, Hinata realized, and the chubbier guy was Choji.

The guy with the ponytail leaned back, and appeared to close his eyes. "Might as well not watch. Kiba's going to lose."

The tattooed guy, who Hinata now knew was Kiba, spared a second to glance at the man with the ponytail and scowl. "As soon as I win, I'm gonna walk over there and beat you like a rug!"

From the opening into the dining room, Mr. Sarutobi sent an apologetic glance at Hinata, as if to say, "I'm sorry about them, but what can you do?" Hinata shook her head, trying to stifle a laugh. She was suddenly not nervous at all – Naruto's friends were rough-housing and messing around just like her friends in college.

"Oi, you lot!" Naruto yelled. "We have guests!"

Six heads turned toward the door, and Choji seized the opportunity to slam Kiba's arm down on the table. "HA! I win."

"Hey," Kiba protested, "not fair!"

"All's fair in love and war," Choji said placidly. "Don't bother arguing – we have to meet Naruto's friends!"

"I'll get you for th-" Kiba muttered, but cut off abruptly when he saw the four people in the doorway. For a second he stood gaping, and then stood up straight. Hinata got the impression that he was staring at her, and felt a little self-conscious. The others stood up as well, and went to meet Naruto's guests.

The arm-wrestlers reached them first. "I'm Choji," the chubby one said, giving Hinata a smile that she immediately sensed was heart-felt. "And this guy is Kiba. Arm-wrestling was all his idea, by the way, I'm normally much more mature than that."

From behind him Ino scoffed. "As if maturity was even in your vocabulary, Choji! Step aside, boys, I want to say hello! I'm Ino, and I'm so excited to meet you! There's simply too much testosterone in this group, so it's good to have another girl."

The man in the sunglasses approached, and held out his hand. "I'm Shino," he said simply. The young teen, who Hinata realized must be Mr. Sarutobi's grandson, shuffled up awkwardly. He seemed to have trouble looking directly at Hanabi – he kept glancing away, or down at his feet. Hinata thought he was adorable, although she felt a little bad for the boy. If he had a crush already, then it wouldn't be long before her Sasuke-smitten sister shattered the poor boy's hopes.

"I'm Konohamaru," he muttered, and backed up as soon as he could. Last was the man with the ponytail, who came up leisurely and gave Hinata an appraising glance. His eyes were sharp and calculating, though he slouched and kept his hands in his pockets. "So you're Naruto's friend," he drawled. "I'm Shikamaru. Nice to meet you."

Hinata introduced herself and Hanabi, and then everyone sat down around the table. They made small talk for a while, asking Hinata and her sister more about themselves. They tried to keep the conversation light, and not bring up the sadder facts about their past. Hinata just said that she was old school friends with Naruto, and they had recently run into each other. When they asked what Hinata did for a living, she said that she had recently stopped attending medical school in order to look after her sister. It was clear from that that their parents must have passed away, and Naruto's friends respectfully didn't press Hinata about what had happened.

Mr. Sarutobi looked at his watch, and spoke across the table to Naruto. "I'm guessing the food will be ready by now. Naruto, would you mind going to the kitchen and seeing if Ebisu needs any help bringing it in?"

"Of course, old man. I'm on it." So saying, Naruto got up from the table and started to leave for the kitchen.

Kiba shot to his feet like he was propelled by a spring. "Hold on a sec," he called out. "I'll help you!"

Naruto gave him a questioning look, but only said, "sure."

Together they walked through the living room and past the entranceway. When they were out of earshot of the dining room, Kiba blocked Naruto's path. "Hold up, Naruto," he said, just a little breathlessly. "You said you were bringing a friend from school, not a goddess in human form! Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, not at all," Naruto laughed. "We're just good friends."

"Then does she have a boyfriend?"

Naruto stopped laughing, and grew serious. "Listen, Kiba, I think of Hinata as a sister. She's been through a hell of a lot recently, and I don't want her to get hurt any more. So if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you'd best forget about it."

"Hey," Kiba protested, his expression innocent. "When have I ever been anything less than a perfect gentleman?"

"I know you're a good guy," Naruto reassured Kiba, "I'm not saying you aren't. And if Hinata likes you, then that's great. Honestly, I think the two of you would be really cute together. But if she's not interested, you'd better respect that. And if you ever hurt her, in any way, whether it's a broken heart or a broken fingernail, I'll tear you apart. You got that?"

"Yikes," Kiba said, a little surprised by Naruto's sincerity. "You can be really scary sometimes, you know that?"

"Answer the question, Kiba."

Kiba nodded furiously. "Yeah, I understand. Don't worry, I'm not the kind of guy to hit on girls who aren't interested. By the way, what happened to her parents? It seemed like there was a sad story there."

"There is," Naruto confirmed, "but it's not my story to tell. If she comes to trust you enough, maybe she'll share it with you."

"Thanks for being honest with me, Naruto. Right, enough of this sappy stuff. Let's see what bossy-boots Ebisu has cooked up tonight."

The two friends went into the kitchen, where Ebisu was waiting with dinner. The enigmatic butler had worked for Mr. Sarutobi for as long as Naruto could remember, and probably much longer than that. He was the executive's cook, driver, assistant, and private tutor to Konohamaru. Naruto also had a sneaking suspicion that the man was a bodyguard as well. No one without martial arts training handled knives with such casual skill.

They picked up large serving trays with fish, rice, soup, kimchi, and the sautéed beef called bulgogi, and carried them all back to the dining room. To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke had arrived during Naruto's conversation with Kiba, and was seated at the table next to Mr. Sarutobi.

"Our last guest has arrived," Mr. Sarutobi commented as Naruto, Kiba, and Ebisu entered with the food. "What an auspicious day it is, that the elusive Mr. Uchiha has decided to grace us with his presence."

Ino nodded enthusiastic agreement, while Sasuke only grunted. Once the food was laid out on the table, Naruto and Kiba sat back down.

"Ebisu, thank you for yet another delicious meal." Ebisu bowed deeply, looking extremely self-satisfied, before heading back to the kitchen. Everyone helped themselves, heaping generous portions onto their plates and digging in with pleasure. Hinata was particularly impressed by Choji and Kiba, who ate at a furious pace with the abandon of hungry wolves.

The conversation flowed freely and easily, much to Hinata's surprise. Naruto's friends put her at her ease, and their good-natured acceptance seemed to wrap around her like a warm blanket. At times Hinata even had to fight down a tear or two – it seemed so long since she had engaged in carefree conversation with friends, without feeling like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

From time to time, Hinata got the sense that Sasuke was watching her, but whenever she looked over at him he was deep in conversation with Mr. Sarutobi. Admittedly, Hinata was looking at him more than she probably should have been. As she had expected, he looked _good_ in a suit.

Hinata also couldn't help but laugh when she realized that Ino was as smitten with Sasuke as Hanabi was. The younger Hyuga sister realized this too, and it was almost comical to watch her face fall when the lightbulb went off. Ino was tall, willowy, blond, beautiful, sophisticated – in short, she was everything that Hanabi wanted to grow up to be (except perhaps for being blond), and as such made a depressingly strong rival for Sasuke's affections. The only thing that kept Hanabi from too visible dejection was the constant rudeness with which Sasuke met all of Ino's attempts to be flirtatious.

Eventually, the conversation turned onto the subject of jobs. Mr. Sarutobi began it by addressing Hinata.

"I understand Hanabi is in the middle of her schooling, but what are you doing for work? Pardon me if I'm being too nosy."

Hinata blushed a little, for this was the question she'd been dreading. "Ah, no, not at all. I'm actually just… well, the thing is…"

"The reason I ask," Mr. Sarutobi cut in smoothly, before she could really trip over her tongue, "is that we're looking for new people at Hidden Leaf. I understand you were a medical student on track to becoming a doctor; in my mind, that more than qualifies you to work with us."

Kiba perked his head up at this, looking overjoyed. "Yeah," he added in a rush, "and it's a great place to work! Great pay, benefits, nice people…" he trailed off, and smiled hopefully at Hinata.

"I'm always looking to help out my friends however I can," Mr. Sarutobi continued, "and any friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine. Please think about it, but don't feel any pressure."

Hinata was thinking about it, and thinking hard. A salaried job was something she didn't feel she deserved, especially in a field like law where she had no experience. But it wasn't a question about what she deserved, it was a question about how best to provide for her sister. And working for Mr. Sarutobi was much more stable than working as a maid. Even though Hinata knew Naruto would never forsake her, there was no future and little security in her current job.

And in a flash of realization, Hinata discovered that she knew exactly why Naruto had invited her here tonight. He had been planning this from the beginning! No doubt he had explained her situation to his boss, or at least said that he had a friend who needed work, and asked for help in providing a brighter future for Hinata and Hanabi.

She looked at Naruto, who was grinning slyly down at the table while carefully avoiding her gaze, and the rush of gratitude threatened to overwhelm her. She had to clutch her thighs fiercely with her hands, to keep from breaking down into emotional tears right there.

"I really… it's too generous of you –"

Sasuke's cold voice cut off Hinata mid-sentence. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Hinata locked eyes with Sasuke, a feeling a dread growing inside of her. Surely he wasn't going to…

"Miss Hinata has a contract with Naruto and myself. She is our live-in housekeeper, and is contractually obligated to work for us for the next year. Any offers of work should wait until the period of her employment is over."

Hinata felt the tears welling up again, this time out of frustration. How could he out her so coldly, so indifferently, to people she barely knew? Now she was humiliated, and in front of people who had seemed to take to her so easily. Now they would have nothing to do with her, and despise her for trying to hide her status as a maid.

She couldn't stand to be there any longer. She got up from the table and turned her face away, so no one would see the tears start to flow. She left the dining room at a pace that was almost a run, and almost forgot to put on her shoes as she went out the door. Where she was going she didn't know, but at that moment she didn't particularly care. Hanabi followed her out, shouting at her sister to slow down. For once, Hinata didn't pay any attention to her sister.

Back in the dining room all was confusion. Naruto's friends were clamoring to be heard over one another, while Naruto was torn between punching Sasuke in the face and going after Hinata.

"I'll explain things to them," Mr. Sarutobi said kindly to Naruto. "Go after her. We'll talk more later." Naruto was off in a flash to follow Hinata. The old man turned to Sasuke, whose face was set in a stony expression. "That was poorly done, Sasuke. I am extremely disappointed in you."

"A contract is a contract," Sasuke said. He took a sip of his tea, ignoring the flood of questions and comments from his confused coworkers. Then he stood up, and nodded respectfully to his boss. "I'm sorry to leave so abruptly, but I have work to attend to. I'll see you all at the office."

When Sasuke was gone, Mr. Sarutobi raised his hands for silence. "I know you're all curious. I want you to promise me that what I tell you now won't leave this room, and that you will treat the young lady who just left with the utmost respect. She has had a difficult time, and needs friendship, not vulgar curiosity or pity."

Everyone nodded their heads, including Konohamaru, but before he told them Hinata's story Mr. Sarutobi sent his grandson out of the room. The outspoken teen complained bitterly, but Mr. Sarutobi wouldn't budge. Finally he was alone with Kiba, Shino, Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru.

"Right," he began, and pulled out his pipe with a heavy sigh. "Hinata's full name is Hinata Hyuga, and her father was Hiashi Hyuga of Hyuga Motors…"

And so he unfolded the sad story to his riveted audience, while Ebisu's food went cold, forgotten, on the table.

oOoOo

_Damn!_

Sasuke raised the shot glass to his lips, and downed the whiskey in one go. He slammed the glass down on the bar's glossy surface, hard enough to cause the man next to him to look over in surprise. Sasuke ignored him, and motioned for the bartender to fill his glass again.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Sasuke didn't know what had come over him at the dinner that night. One second Mr. Sarutobi had been offering Hinata a job, and the next Sasuke's imagination convinced him that she would move out, get her own place, and leave Sasuke and Naruto behind. Before Sasuke had even thought it through, his mouth had opened and spoken without conscious direction, forbidding Hinata to take the job. It had been stupid and totally unnecessary, yet there it was. When Sasuke had thought Hinata might leave, he'd experienced an almost physical pain.

Who was this woman, that she held such power over him? Sasuke was disgusted with himself, at the lack of self-control that had manifested that night. But still, he told himself, she had signed a contract. He hadn't done anything other than remind her of that. To commit to work for a certain period of time, only to take the first opportunity that came her way… it was downright ungrateful, that's what it was! Sasuke dwelt on his sense of betrayal by Hinata, allowing it to smother the tiny voice that said he might have been wrong in embarrassing her before his coworkers. Damn it, she didn't have any right to make him feel anything!

One thing was for sure, and that was that Sasuke hadn't seen the last of the consequences of tonight's events. Hinata was sure to be pissed, and doubtless Naruto would be as well. But Sasuke was resolved. He'd taken a stand, even if he hadn't done so consciously, and he'd never gone back on his word. Hinata would finish out the terms of her contract, on his solemn vow as an Uchiha. That was his final word on the subject, and he would not budge.

Sasuke motioned again for the bartender to refill his shot glass. He tossed it back immediately, welcoming the burning sensation of the alcohol. He was determined to drink until the image of Hinata's face, framed by black hair that shone blue in certain light, no longer haunted his consciousness.


	7. Episode 7

**A/N: **Hi everyone! Even though many months have passed since my last update, I want you to know that I haven't stopped thinking about this story. I have a lot planned, and I hope to update a few more times over break (reviews always speed up that process, by the way!).

This chapter will be familiar to any of you KDrama fans – it's the scene where one main character gets drunk, and then a whole lot of messy feelings start flying around. I'm confident that by the end of this chapter you'll want to punch Sasuke more than ever, but have faith! There's a lot more to come, and – spoiler alert – this story has a happy ending.

So anyway, here's my early Christmas (or holiday of your choice) gift to all of you. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Episode 7**

It took Hinata an hour of aimless wandering in the streets of Seoul before she realized that she was being extremely foolish. Yes, Sasuke had acted like a jerk. He had no right to embarrass her like that. It was petty and cruel, and she'd thought better of him. But that didn't mean she should have let his words get to her to such an extent. For heaven's sake, she didn't even know where she was! There could be thieves around here waiting for people walking alone, and she wouldn't have a prayer of outrunning them in her dress.

If Hinata let Sasuke's words goad her into making stupid decisions, then she really would be a fool. It was time to go back to the house, where Naruto and Hanabi would be waiting for her, no doubt worried sick. Seeing them meant seeing Sasuke, but Hinata knew a confrontation was inevitable. There was no use putting it off any longer than she had to.

In fact, the unbearable embarrassment that had driven Hinata to leave the party was now beginning to change into a cold anger that allowed her to consider her situation with astonishing clarity. She found that she had some things she wanted to say to the arrogant bastard, and as long as her rage sustained her she wouldn't have any trouble mustering up the courage. Tonight was the best time to give Sasuke a piece of her mind – it would show him that she wasn't going to sit back and be treated like a second-class citizen, just because he happened to be her employer. This wasn't Joseon, for crying out loud!

Hinata muttered to herself for the entire subway ride home, planning what she would say to Sasuke when they finally came face-to-face. She got a few strange looks from other passengers, and the grandmotherly lady sitting next to her edged as far away as her seat would allow. Hinata never even noticed, and was still shooting fierce accusations at an imaginary Sasuke when she got off the subway at her station.

When she reached the house, she saw that Sasuke's car was not yet back in the garage. She checked her watch – it was almost midnight! Why wasn't he back yet? Hinata had finally worked up the courage to give Sasuke a good telling-off, and he didn't even have the decency to be at home!

Hinata snorted angrily, not really caring that she was being illogical. She decided not to go inside the house, because Naruto would only try and make her feel better, and Hinata didn't want to be reassured. She wanted to keep hold of her bright, brittle anger, at least until she could unleash it all on Mr. Uchiha himself. So she waited, pacing at the end of the driveway like a tigress in a cage, or perhaps a cat waiting at a mousehole.

She was lucky, for Sasuke didn't keep her waiting long. Only five minutes after she had resolved to wait, a taxi rolled up to the curb. Hinata immediately spotted Sasuke's jet-black hair pressed against the back seat window.

_Why would he take a cab?_ Hinata wondered. He had a perfectly good car, and the only reason not to drive your own car was if you were… damn.

"I swear, Sasuke," Hinata muttered, approaching the taxi, "if you went and got drunk, I am going to-"

The back door opened, and Sasuke fell halfway out of the cab, before catching hold of the door again with an outstretched hand. "Eashy, there," he said unsteadily. He got to his feet, and after two tries, succeeded in shutting the door.

Hinata said a bad word under her breath. Getting angry at a drunk person was like trying to catch a fly with chopsticks: it didn't work, and trying only made you more frustrated.

In contrast, the taxi driver looked overjoyed to see Hinata hurrying over. "He's all yours now," he called out the open window. "And ma'am, pardon me for saying this, but if you can find it in you, you ought to forgive your husband. A man don't drink like that 'less he's done something to anger the missus." He ducked his head apologetically as Hinata blushed a dark red.

"He's not my-" but the taxi driver sped off, leaving her protest dangling. Hinata sighed, and turned to survey her inebriated employer. He was moving slowly toward the house, eyes on his feet, while weaving back and forth. Hinata had half a mind to leave him there, but after a second her nicer half prevailed. She gripped Sasuke's upper arm and began to guide him to the front door. He followed obediently, still looking down at his shoes.

"Come on, then," she said, as they neared the door. "Let's get you to bed. I can always yell at you in the morning, and with the hangover you're going to have I think it will be twice as effective."

But when she spoke, Sasuke froze. He raised his head, staring into her eyes with feverish intensity. "Hinata?" he asked. His voice was low, intense. Sasuke took his arm out of her grip, and took hold of her shoulders with both hands. Hinata was so shocked that she didn't pull away in time. "You," Sasuke whispered, "you're stuck… right here." He pointed to his head.

Hinata backed up a step. But Sasuke followed, and Hinata couldn't retreat any more because the house was in the way.

"You torment me," Sasuke whispered.

Hinata's heart pounded wildly as Sasuke leaned forward. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She put her hands on his chest, but her arms refused to obey her brain's command to push him away. Closer, still closer came Sasuke, his eyes hot and hungry. Without understanding why, Hinata stopped resisting. She closed her eyes, and tilted her face upward.

Sasuke's lips pressed against hers, gently at first. Then a fire roared through her, and Sasuke seemed to feel it as well, because the kiss deepened until it wasn't gentle at all. Hinata wrapped one hand in his hair, pulling him closer.

But when Hinata paused for breath, she caught a whiff of alcohol, and reality brought her rudely to her senses. Her eyes snapped open, and she gasped. This time she pushed Sasuke away. He tripped and fell backwards, landing awkwardly on the smooth pavement of the driveway. He rolled away from her, and Hinata stayed where she was, unable to check if he was all right.

That was how Naruto found them when he opened the door. "Damn," Naruto said, coming down to stand next to Hinata. "Sasuke went on a bender. Did you just find him like this?"

It took Hinata a few seconds to comprehend the question, but as soon as she did, she nodded vigorously. "Yes! I was… I was coming back, and…"

"Don't worry about it too much," Naruto advised, shaking his head. "Sasuke has some demons, and every now and again they get too strong for him to take on alone. I'll take care of him for now. Don't worry," he added, grinning at her. "I haven't forgotten about the dinner. Once he gets some water and some sleep, I'm going to rip into him about how he treated you. Believe me, he's going to think I'm the Grim Reaper before I'm done with him."

Hinata could only nod weakly. Naruto gave her a puzzled look. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," Hinata said hurriedly. "I guess I must have walked too much on a full stomach. I'm feeling a little queasy."

"Make sure to get your rest tonight," Naruto replied, looking worried. "I'll check on you just as soon as I've got this lug squared away." He pulled Sasuke upright with surprising strength, and then firmly marched his friend inside. Sasuke was practically passed out, although once he mumbled something that sounded dangerously close to "Hinata."

The front door closed, leaving Hinata alone with her thoughts.

_Well, _she reflected, wondering if the strange calm she was experiencing was actually shock. _This changes things._

Hinata was not stupid, and she was too honest to be able to lie to herself. She liked her boss – and yet, _"like"_ was hardly the word to describe the raw wave of desire that had rushed through her at his touch. No wonder she had been so affected by his cruel words at the dinner party.

But… did he like her? Hinata replayed the words he had said to her only moments before. They sounded like he did, but then, he had been drunk. Maybe Sasuke was the kind who declared love to any girl he saw after a few beers. Hinata had known more than a few boys like that at University.

_Hinata, why are you so stupid? _She asked herself silently, resting her head in her hands. _There are so many reasons why this can't work._ But there was no answer.

One thing was for sure: pondering Sasuke's mood swings all night was not a productive use of her time. She would be much better off following Naruto's advice and getting some sleep. A little distance from her wildly careening emotions could only be a good thing. In the morning, she would figure out what to say to Sasuke. She would figure everything out… just not tonight.

As Hinata moved to the front door, her hand rose to her lips. They still tingled faintly, alive with the memory of Sasuke's touch.

oOoOo

The next morning Sasuke opened his eyes, and immediately wished that he hadn't. The sunlight coming through his window felt like knives gouging into his brain. He groaned and swept the covers up over his head, wondering why he hadn't drawn the shades last night. His head ached terribly, and for a moment Sasuke was too preoccupied feeling sorry for himself to remember how he had gotten here.

It came back in flashes, and he pieced his memories together with a growing feeling of unease. He'd been at the bar, trying to calm down after he'd lost control at Sarutobi's… yes, he'd definitely been there. But he'd gone elsewhere, too… he remembered drinking a bottle of soju and eating some kimchi at a street-side stand on the way home. Then… was there a cab?

Yes, the restaurant owner had ordered him a cab. Then Sasuke got home, where Hinata… Hinata!

Sasuke sat bolt upright, ignoring the renewed pain as the sunlight hit his sensitive retinas. Hinata had met him at the cab! They had… Sasuke clutched the blanket, as if for protection, as a foggy memory of kissing Hinata surfaced. What had he done?!

A loud knocking came from outside the door, startling him so much that he almost jumped off the bed. "Yes?" he called, or tried to. His throat was dry, so it came out more like a croak.

The door opened, almost giving Sasuke a heart attack. He had no idea what he was going to say to Hinata, he- it was Naruto. Sasuke let out his breath in relief. Naruto entered the room, maneuvering around the door while balancing an enormous tray in one hand. It supported a steaming bowl of porridge, a pitcher of water, and a mug of tea. Naruto's expression was thoroughly amused.

"And how are we doing this morning, sunshine," Naruto said in a sing-song voice that made Sasuke want to punch him.

"Perfectly fine, thank you," the Uchiha growled. "Just leave that and go."

"My, my, aren't we grumpy," Naruto said with mock disapproval. "Let me remind you that I have never taken orders from you, and I certainly don't intend to start now. Now eat your porridge, drink your tea, and get comfortable. You and I have some serious talking to do."

Sasuke groaned, but took the tray from Naruto without protest. He should have seen this coming, especially after that fiasco at Sarutobi's the other day… but somehow, the events of later that night seemed much more important than anything he'd said before.

Sasuke bitterly regretted what he'd said, for a number of reasons. But he wasn't going to say that to Naruto, and even if he did, it wouldn't have gotten him out of a scolding from the world's most noble (and annoying) blond. So Sasuke set himself to endure.

The porridge was just the right temperature, and laced with enough honey to keep from being too bland. Sasuke couldn't suppress a small sound of enjoyment. "You can thank Hinata for that," Naruto said pointedly. "I would have pulled out the fried eel from the refrigerator and let you suffer. I can't believe you got so drunk that you decided to sleep in the driveway – what must Hinata have thought of you?" Sasuke choked involuntarily, drawing a snort from Naruto.

"If you're going to yell at me," Sasuke said through another mouthful of porridge, "you'd best get started. I have work to do later."

Naruto gave him a look that Sasuke couldn't decipher. "I'm sure you do. Well, I'll get right to the point. First, not only were you an insufferable, arrogant prick at dinner, but you were also all wrong. Remember that thing you said about Hinata having a year left on her contract?" Naruto took out a folded piece of paper from his jacket. Sasuke immediately recognized the homemade contract he had signed with Hinata.

"I took a look at this last night," Naruto said idly. "The time frame specifies a _month_, Sasuke. Not a year."

Sasuke stared blankly at the paper, beating his already overtired brain for a response. "A mistake," he said at last. "I forgot the terms of the original agreement."

"That's not like you," Naruto declared, watching like a hawk as Sasuke raised his mug of tea, using it to cover his expression. "But let's move on. Let's get to the part where there's nothing – let me repeat, _nothing _– in this contract to prevent Hinata from working another job if she lands one. Trying to keep Hinata from taking two jobs just because she signed this contract isn't just heartless and controlling, it's _illegal_."

Sasuke nodded up and down, feeling like a puppet with an overeager handler. He just wanted this entire conversation to disappear, so he could forget all of the stupid things he'd said. "I know, I know, I was wrong. Of course she can work at Hidden Leaf if she wants. Hell, she can have a thousand jobs for all I care. I was an ass, all right? Let's just leave it at that."

Now Naruto was looking at him as if he'd sprouted horns. "Are you _admitting_ that you were wrong?"

"Yes, damn it! I'm admitting to anything I have to, if it will get you to leave and let me get through this hangover in peace. I'll… look, I'll apologize to Hinata if you want." Sasuke's insides quivered at the thought of seeing her again, but Naruto was a stubborn fool who wouldn't leave him alone until he did what Naruto thought was right.

Naruto leaned back, seemingly at a loss for words. "Uh… ok. You're being surprisingly mellow about this, Sasuke."

"If you don't get out of my room in ten seconds, I'm going to throw this tea at you," Sasuke threatened. "Take that stupid contract and tell Hinata she can do whatever the hell she wants. Leave me to my porridge, asshole."

Naruto grinned at Sasuke, that goofy, lopsided grin that always made him want to smile in return. Instead, Sasuke scowled as fiercely as he could, and pointed at the door. "Out!"

Naruto hopped off the bed, holding his hands in front of him as if warding off an attack. "I'm going!" He laughed, then turned serious for a moment and pointed right back at Sasuke. "But you'd better apologize, got it? I'll knock your block off if you don't!"

"We both know you can't take me," Sasuke scoffed. "But I'll apologize anyway, if only to save your face from getting pounded into the dirt by my fist."

They comfortably traded a few more insults, and then Naruto left. Sasuke ate his porridge slowly, thinking all the while. He reached only one conclusion – things had gone too far. But last night had been a result of the alcohol. He refused to admit it might have been anything more. Sasuke had no time to act like a fool, and no room in his heart for anything but hatred.

Sasuke knew what he had to do, and he promised himself that he would do it. Then he looked down at the porridge, which he was still shoveling into his mouth, and remembered that Hinata had prepared it. She'd probably made the tea, too – he shoved the tray aside with a sudden jerk, slopping hot water onto the sheets. Enough! From now on, he was going to ignore her completely. She would be invisible, the way she ought to be.

When Sasuke went downstairs, Naruto, Hinata, and Hanabi were all at the table in the kitchen, waiting for him. There was an awkward pause, but Sasuke strode resolutely forward. He poured himself a mug of coffee from the pot next to the stove, and turned to his best friend and their two housekeepers. All right… he would fix the mess he had made last night. _Then_ Hinata would become invisible.

"I…" his voice was small, and sounded strange to his own ears. He cleared his throat, and tried again. "I'm sorry for what I said last night at dinner. I was mistaken. If you have an offer to work at Hidden Leaf, or anywhere else for that matter, you're welcome to take it. In fact, you should. At the end of the month, once your contract is up, it will be best if you have another opportunity lined up."

Hanabi uttered a sound of protest at that, but Sasuke talked right over her. Sasuke kept his voice steady, trying not to look too closely at Hinata. Her lips were drawing together tightly, and her brows were raised. He pushed on, hoping that she wouldn't hear the lie in his voice.

"And I also apologize for coming home in such a state last night. Naruto told me you found me in the driveway, and I guess I must have had a little too much to drink." Sasuke's winced inwardly at the shameless evasion, but pressed on. "I hope I didn't make too much trouble for you."

There was a question in those pale eyes as Hinata watched Sasuke, and more than a little pain. But all she said was, "Not at all. I accept your apology."

"Thank you. I hope we can all avoid any further unpleasantness for the remainder of the month. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have a few things to take care of at the office."

He left his coffee on the counter, practically untouched, and gathered up his briefcase and coat on the way to the door. He felt three pairs of eyes on him as he walked away, but he didn't look back.


End file.
